


Foxfire

by PixieDust291



Category: Hetalia: Axis Powers
Genre: Anal Sex, College, Japanese Mythology & Folklore, Kitsune, M/M, Magic, Oral Sex, Sex Magic, Sexual Content
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2013-10-07
Updated: 2013-10-07
Packaged: 2017-12-28 16:02:02
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 16
Words: 42,545
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/993833
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/PixieDust291/pseuds/PixieDust291
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>In folklore, foxes are said to be powerful trickster spirits who use their magic for all manner of things. Alfred has been having some rather strange dreams ever since the accident in the woods when he was just a child. An accident he doesn't remember. His dreams all seem to revolve around one thing, a man with emerald eyes seducing him late at night in the darkness of a forest.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter One

**Author's Note:**

> This is dedicated to everyone who needs a little magic in their life

He thrashed on to top of the sheet, dreaming. It was always the same, every night when the moon was highest in the sky. He dreamed of smooth flesh moving under his palms, and the smoothest softest fur caressing over his body. He envisioned his fingers combing through short honey blonde hair. He felt arms close around him and a hot mouth press against his throat. A skilled tongue circled and brushed across his pulse just before he bit. “You are mine.” A voice with a lilting accent whispered in his ear. Fire sparked and spilled downward, making his heart pound franticly in his chest. His blood called to him and seemed to grow hot in his veins. A round, charming face with high cheek bones looked at him from half-closed, emerald greed eyes under thick dark brows. “Do you want me?”

“God yes.” Alfred heard himself gasping.

“It will cost you.”

Cost? A shiver broke across his skin. “What do you want?”

The man’s dark green gaze focused on him with feral heat. “I want your heart and soul.” A mouth made for sin curved upward into a breathtakingly adorable smile. “Will you give them to me?” A clawed hand gently scraped down his pectoral, making sure to graze over his nipple. Alfred gasped. The man grinned “After all, they are already mine.” He leaned up, his mouth just a breath away from Alfred’s. “Kiss me.” Lips covered his. A tongue plunged in to taste, to explore with velvet strokes. He moaned and moved to push the other man onto his back so that their naked bodies could press against one another. 

Alfred snapped awake, his body bolting upright in the bed. The scream echoed in his ears. He gasped for breath, blinking in the darkness of his bedroom. He shoved the sheets away from his sweaty skin. Once again, as like all the other times, there were thin slits within the fabric. Alfred gulped, pretending to not see them. On top of his ruined bed sheets, thick smears of hot wetness were causing his boxers to stick to his groin. He groaned and made his way toward the shower, his cat followed hot on his heels. Naturally the feline assumed that since Alfred was up it must be meal time. Alfred made a quick glance over his shoulder at his alarm clock. It was way too early for this. 

He stepped into the small, glassed-in shower stall and turned on the water. In minutes the bathroom was full of steam. He hung his head and let the hot splattering droplets cascade down his face. Why was it that every night he had the same wet dream? More importantly why was the person in his dreams someone he did not know? Whatever. He had asked himself these questions so many times before. He had even tried to seek out professional help, but no one was able to make the dreams stop or tell him why he was having them. 

Alfred shut off the shower, after giving his body a quick wash, and stepped out. Yawning, he reached for the towel, glancing at his own reflection in the mirror. He froze. His dark blue eyes widened in horror as he let the towel fall to the floor and looked at himself in the mirror. A thin line of scarlet was running down his throat. Two finger-long lines and two tiny marks beneath them, clearly from upper and lower canine teeth, marred the side of his throat. Something had bitten him, and the distance between the marks was too great to be his own cat. “What the hell is this?” He pressed his finger against the wounds. 

In the dream, he’d been bitten- right there.

But dreams didn’t ever become real, did they? He wiped his hands down his face. “Why does all the weird shit happen to me?” He picked up a washrag, wet it, and dabbed at the blood. 

Everything in his life had started turning weird around the time he had turned ten years old. He remembered the exact day it had happened to. What the hell had happened to him in the woods all those years ago. An image of sunlight through autumn leaves and a creature with silver fur dashing through the foliage flashed before his eyes. No, that couldn’t be right. His mind was mixing the dream with what little memory he had. He’d been bitten by something with fangs. Someone with fangs. No, it had been an animal not a person. Why did he have to keep reminding himself of that?

Not caring about his nudity he padded down the hall and into the kitchen. His cat meowed hungrily. After feeding the adamant feline a can of tuna he opened up his fridge, grabbed a soda, then went to the cookie jar where he secretly hid all of his chocolate. He walked into the living room and sat down on the couch. He did not bother to turn on the light switch for the moonlight shining through the screen door illuminated everything just fine for him to see. He looked up at the wall just behind his television. Hanging high on the wall was a painting he had done his freshman year of high school. It had been the only artistic piece he had ever created. The painting was done in simple watercolors and showed the image of a golden fox resting amongst a meadow of spring flowers. He didn’t know why he had chosen to pain the fox gold, but it had seemed natural to him. As if there was no other color in the world it could have been. 

Sometimes he felt as if the painting was connected to the nightmares. He had tried to sell it or throw it out many times, but when it finally came down to it he always lost his nerve. Occasionally he would look up at the painting and he swore the fox’s eyes, which he had painted closed, were open and staring at him. Watching him. A shiver ran down his spine. He hated scary things. However, he continued to stare up at the painting. In the darkness, it almost looked as if the fox’s body was breathing.


	2. Chapter Two

“Well, I know this is a biology class but since it’s so close to Halloween why don’t we talk about animals in mythology.” Alfred F. Jones looked out over the eager students who crowded the large lecture hall. _“Well,”_ he thought _“that seems to have sparked their interest.”_ Nearly one hundred pairs of young, bright eyes stared at his face. He stepped out from behind the podium and motioned to Toris, his teaching assistant, to start the PowerPoint slides. One particularly pretty girl leaned forward in the front row; showing a hint of a black lace bra and a wide smile. There were many good looking professors on the college campus, but it seemed to Alfred that he attracted more admirers then most. He wasn’t sure how to feel about that. Regardless, however, the upshot of being popular with the students was that his class was always full. 

“Let us talk about cats. They are seen as far back as Ancient Egypt; and in later centuries believed to be the familiars of witches. No one is certain how many people, mostly female, and felines were murdered during the three-plus centuries of the witch trials of Salem.” Alfred smiled as he continued. As well as having a master’s degree in biology he also had a minor in history, and for the most part liked to combine the two in his teaching. He combed a hand through his short golden blonde hair and motioned for Toris to go to the next slide. “Now, does anyone know of any other animals that have been revered throughout history?” A man in the back row raised his hand, Alfred nodded to him.

“Weren’t dogs one of them?”

“Yes, yes they were.” He nodded toward a young woman.

“In Alaska weren’t wolves and whales considered deities?” 

“Yes, they were very highly respected.”

“What about foxes?” A voice called out. Alfred paused. Foxes. That had always been a touchy subject with him. He turned to his side. Standing in the doorway was his friend and fellow colleague Kiku, who taught history of Asia and eastern culture. The Japanese man was dressed in his usual dark blue business suit. Alfred smiled.

“Mr. Honda you honor my class with your presence.” Alfred motioned with his hand for Kiku to come in “You know far more about Japanese folklore then I. So why don’t you tell us about the importance of foxes.”

Kiku bowed as he stepped onto the podium “Kitsune, which is the Japanese word for fox, are a common character in Asian fairytales and myths. The stories say they are magical beings that possessed magic which only increased in power as the kitsune grew in age and wisdom. They were also said to have an appetite for human flesh.” Some of the girls in the front row gasped. Kiku chuckled, “I do not mean they ate the flesh, merely just found it... desirable, shall we say.” The girls blushed. “Kitsune are complicated trickster spirits that are rather adamant in their desires. Like the animal they originated from, when a fox sets his sights of something; he very rarely lets it get away. The kitsune have many different magical abilities, one is to take human form. While some folktales speak of kitsune employing this ability to trick humans, it is also true the some stories portray them as taking a human form in order to be faithful guardian, allies, and lovers.”

 

One man raised his hand and Kiku gestured for him to speak “Mr. Honda, you keep referring to kitsune as if they are real or still living.” The words sent a chill down Alfred’s spine. 

Kiku smiled apologetically, though Alfred noticed the glint in his eyes. “My apologies. The spirit of Halloween must have caught up with me.” He turned and looked at the clock “And it seems I have taken up quite a bit of your class time Mr. Jones.”

Alfred turned and looked up at the clock. There was only five minuets left of class. He smirked. After Kiku’s fantasy filled explanation on foxes like hell the class was going to listen to him. He waved a hand, “Just go on Mr. Honda. I’m sure my students would love to hear more.” As if to prove his statement several of his students called out encouragingly. 

Kiku nodded respectfully “Unlike normal foxes, kitsunes are said to have multiple tails and come in more colors then just the usual red, gray, brown, and ever rare white. Though it is true that much of the artwork of kitsunes features them having multiple tails, they usually do not gain more than two. It is believed that a Kitsune’s color was vastly more important than his tail, for their color is a direct reflection of the amount of magic that flows through their blood. The rarer the color the more magical strength the Kitsune possessed.”

“What were some of the things they could do with their magic?”

“The less powerful Kitsune could perform simple magic such as moving objects or increasing the temperature of the room a few degrees. This lite form of magic I believe has been called ‘Kitchen magic’ by American’s. The stronger Kitsune would have the ability to conjure a storm or cause nature itself to separate.”

“Nature to separate?”

“Imagine magic taking apart a water molecule.”

Alfred clapped his hands “Alright everyone class is over.” The students began to file out of their seats, “I’ll see you all on Thursday and don’t forget you lab reports are due at the beginning of lab on Tuesday!” Alfred laughed as he walked over to Toris, who handed him his backpack. 

“I’ll put the slides up on the website.” Toris said as he stood, closing the laptop. 

“Great. See you tomorrow.” Alfred waved a hand as he turned back to Kiku. “This makes the second time you have interrupted my class,” he said with a smile “I’m beginning to think you’re insulting me.”

“Not in the least Alfred-san.” 

Alfred laughed as they turned to walk out of the classroom, “So, dude, why are you here? Inviting me out for another night of karaoke?”

Kiku shook his head, “Actually I have two tickets to a gothic art show and I was wondering if you wanted to come along.”

Alfred raised a brown at him, “A gothic art show?”

“It is near Halloween after all.”

Alfred mulled the idea over in his mind. It wasn’t that he was opposed to art it was more the fact that the people who usually attended art shows were not exactly his crowd. His younger brother, Matthew, was much more that type of creative personality. He glanced back at Kiku. Still, it was unusual for his friend to ask him out to something like this. Occasionally after work they would go out for some drinks but that was about it. Alfred enjoyed it, and there was the added bonus that the alcohol did help him have a better night sleep than he usually would without it. He shrugged, “I’ll go if we go out for drinks afterward.”

Kiku frowned slightly, “And I bet you expect me to pay for them?” Alfred nodded. Kiku sighed “Alright then.”

.:.:.:.:.:.:.:.:.:.:.:.

Alfred leaned against the wall and looked around at all the patrons fawning over the paintings on display. From what Alfred could see there was a lot of blood and death. On the far left he saw a painting of death, depicted as a hooded figure with a scythe, dancing with a young headless woman on a coffin.

Alfred loved Halloween; however, it was the one time every year where it seemed his nightmares would increase in intensity. It was also the time of year when he would begin to see things, things that weren’t really there. He took a swig of the water bottle in his hand and moved away from the wall. While he was here he might as well look at all of the artwork. Kiku had wandered off somewhere, saying that he needed to take care of something but would return shortly. Alfred walked up the winding staircase to the second floor. 

There were sculptures, impressionistic art, bust most of all painting. Alfred looked at each one as he walked past. He took in the look of them but never really stopped to examine any of them. To him they all looked roughly the same. He continued the casual perusal until he turned the corner and stopped. On the wall in front of him hung a large framed canvas. The gentle brush strokes of the oil paint were fluid and gave the picture a sense of mystic mystery. A gray... no, the color looked more metallic like silver. A silver fox was perched atop a bare tree that was illuminated by the moon’s luminescent rays. The fur of the fox looked as if it were glowing as the creature looked up at the full moon. Alfred didn’t know why but it seemed to him the fox looked... lonely. 

Unconsciously he stepped closer to the painting, entranced by its beauty. There was something different, he could tell, about this painting. The other artwork had seemed like poor imitations of selfish individuals grasping to obtain a heightened sense of what was considered gothic. This painting did not give off that kind of vibe. It seemed as though it stood alone among a sea of... lesser creativity. It was almost as if the painting had been given life. Alfred stared at the fox’s face. In less time than it would take a person to blink the fox’s head turned and pierced Alfred with its haunting and knowing gaze. 

Alfred gasped and stumbled backward. He shook his head and rubbed his eyes, but when he looked back the fox painting was as it had always been. Nothing had changed. Nothing had come to life. He sighed and turned away, brining a cold palm to his forehead. Dear god, was he shaking? His body bumped into something and he heard a muffled cur of “Bloody hell.” Opening his eyes and lowering his hand Alfred came face to face with a slender young man about his age and height. He wore a black as night floor-length leather coat. His left hand was jammed in the pocket of his black dress slacks, pulling his coat back and showing a dark green dress shirt, slim shoulders, and a flat and toned body shape. His short honey blonde hair looked tussled by the wind. His eyebrows were thick but yet somehow were not altogether unattractive as they complimented his dark forest green eyes. 

Alfred’s heart felt like it had just slammed into his chest and shattered his ribs. He gulped. The man’s more formal attire made Alfred feel a little underdressed in his faded blue jeans and long sleeve dark blue cable net sweater. “S-sorry.” He struggled to say “I didn’t see you there.” 

The man turned his full attention to Alfred. He looked puzzled for a moment and then his eyes widened “My god...” the words were soft but Alfred could clearly hear the English accent. Perfect lips made for kissing turned up in a pleased and yet sinful smile, “I have been looking for you everywhere.”

Alfred’s stomach clenched in alarm “Um... excuse me?” He knew those eyes. They reminded him of the eyes that he had seen so many times in his dreams, but he pushed the thought away. He had already made enough of a fool of himself for one night. “Do I know you from somewhere?”

The man’s expression looked hurt, “You do not remember me?”

“Um... no? Did you take my class a while ago or something?” Alfred gulped. This was quickly turning awkward. His neck burned. He clenched his hand into a fist before to keep from reaching for the throbbing scars. 

The Englishman sighed “I see.” He then looked around Alfred to the painting and smirked “Do you like that one?”

Alfred dared not look back at the painting, “I find it more interesting than the others. Why? Did you make it?”

The Englishman chuckled, “No. That painting had been in my family for generations.”

“Really?” Alfred grasped frantically for anything to keep the conversation going, “I... have a painting just like it.” What the- he could just slap himself.

“Do you?” The Englishman stepped aside to let a couple go past “That is... interesting. If I may ask... what color is it?”

Alfred frowned “The painting?”

“The fox.”

“How did you know it had a fox?”

“You just said that you had a painting much like mine, didn’t you? I do not see how they could resemble one another if they both do not feature the same animal.”

Alfred blushed, “Oh, right. It’s gold.”

The man’s brow rose, “Gold?” he seemed genuinely surprised.

Alfred laughed, “Yeah. Not the traditional color I know.” He shrugged.

The Englishman shook his head “On no. I mean, it truly is an extraordinary color but... I think a gold fox would be rather a sight to behold.” He chuckled, a soft, velvety, sensual sound.

Alfred smiled along with him but took this opportunity to end the conversation and walk away. He could feel a massive migraine coming on. “I am afraid I must go. A friend of mine is probably looking for me.”   
The stranger nodded, “Yes. It was very nice meeting you. I should warn you, however,” his smile was truly devilish, “you are bleeding.”

Alfred laughed nervously, “Oh darn it, I’ll uh... take care of it. Nothing to worry about. Bye!” He practically ran down the stairs. 

Arthur watched the American leave with barely contained joy and amusement. The little boy from so long ago, who he remembered as being beyond adorable, was now a fully grown and quite handsome man. Gold. A shiver ran down Arthur’s spine. What a perfectly wonderful color. It would suit him perfectly.

Kiku came up behind him and smiled, “Did I not tell you it was him.” It was more a statement then a question.

“I must admit Lord Honda. When you told me about him I did have my doubts.”

Kiku chuckled, “I knew it the moment I saw him. He fit every one of your descriptions perfectly. Though I must admit, his scent did confuse me a bit.”

Arthur nodded, “Quite. He nearly smells almost completely human.” He frowned, “But that is no cause for alarm. I have a theory as to why that is.” He turned to Kiku and placed a hand on his shoulder, “Thank you for protecting him this last month until I could get here. The last thing I want is for some low level beast to claim what it rightfully mine.” 

Kiku bowed his head slightly, “Of course. Lord Kirkland.”


	3. Chapter Three

“Alright now. Can anyone tell me what is the most general, and most thought of, mating ritual for animals?” Alfred scanned the audience and pointed to a particularly peppy young girl. 

“It would be two males fighting over a female, where the more dominant male wins and gets the female or females as in some species who travel in herds.”

Alfred smiled “Someone had their morning coffee. Yes, that is correct. However, this is an extremely general notion. If we were to sit down and take a look at the majority of animal sexuality we would find many deviations from this so called ‘norm’.” He nodded to Toris who clicked the PowerPoint to the next slide. “Let us examine the ruff bird. It is one of the few species where the males display more for each other then for the females in order to establish a dominance hierarchy. Also, there are three types of males and they are different from each other in both behavior and looks. The most common is the territorial male, who is the strongest and naturally the most aggressive. He spends nearly all of his time fighting. The next is called the satellite male. He is about the same size as the territorial male but a little less muscular, which makes him more agile, and has lighter colored feathers. He does not have a territory like the other male but he does hang out in their territory and sneak breeds with some of the females.” He paused as some of the students laughed “Now you would think the territorial male would just drive this, for lack of a better term ‘cock block’ out; but the presence of the satellite male encourages and attracts more females.” He shrugged for comic effect “Lastly there is the rare faeder male. He is the smallest, looks almost like a female, and lacks a territory. Now though this type of male also sneak mates with the females he is also just as happy to let the males mate with him and visa versa.” He held up a hand “Now originally scientists thought this happened because the other males confused him for a female, but studies have shown that males are well aware of his gender. As it turns out the high amount of homosexual activity attracts the females like crazy. The females are more likely to mate with a male that has toped or been topped by another male. The females are incredibly promiscuous and the more times they mate the better a clutch they will have. So, the more males in a territory also has its benefits.”

Alfred motioned for Toris to go to the nest slide. “Let’s talk about some other interesting things in nature.” A picture of three lizards with different colored throats came on the screen. “This is the side-blotched lizard. Like the previous example this species also has three different male types. The orange throated, blue throated, and yellow throated. Each one has a different tactic to impress the ladies. The orange is full of testosterone and the biggest of the three. His main objective is to have a huge territory and a lot of females in said territory. He will protect the females but he does not form any kind of lasting bond with them. Because of his size he can beat out the blue throated male for territory. Now the blue throated male is strictly monogamous. He has less testosterone, is medium in size, and only claims a big enough territory to satisfy his one female. He forms a strong bond with that one female, thus making her disinterested in pursuing other males. Lastly there is the yellow throated male who, like in the previous example, greatly resembles the females in coloring. He has no territory and instead invades the orange throated male’s territory and sneak breeds with many of the females. The orange throated male is usually to preoccupied with defending his turf to even realize that all the females are being taken away from him. Because the orange throated male does not spend much time with the females there is no bond there to keep them from straying to other, more affectionate, males.”

A man raised his hand and Alfred nodded toward him “So... it’s basically like a game of rock, paper, and scissors? Orange beats blue because he has more females, blue beats yellow because he has a territory and a faithful female, but yellow beats orange because none of the offspring belong to orange.”

Alfred laughed “Yes. Great way of summarizing that up.” He pointed toward the girl that raised her hand.

“Is it possible for us to take home some messages from animal mating behaviors? Because it seems to me that the main message of the example from a nature standpoint is that males should be very affectionate towards females so they don’t go looking for something better.”

“There are many things that people can learn from biology, however, not all the ideas and concepts necessarily do people like to hear.” He turned back to the screen “Next slide.” A picture of a golden furred monkey popped up. “Tamarins! Tamarin monkeys are known to have all possible combinations of families, from one male and one female, to one male and two females, and two males and one female. The last is the most common and here is why. Tamarin females usually give birth to twins and it is mainly the males that care for the young. They only give the babies back to the mother when they are hungry. Carrying the young around is a lot of work and takes a lot of energy. The males gain weight in muscles while the female is pregnant in order to take on the responsibility. Now if there are two males, then each take a baby and the job is significantly easier. For the families of one male on female, the male may be burdened with having to carry two babies. A male with two females is at an even higher risk because he may have to carry four babies. Biologists have found that males who have to care for more then two offspring usually end up becoming weaker and because of that they are not able to care for the young properly and they die.”

Alfred stretched and turned to look behind him up at the clock “Alright we have time for one last example.” He looked to Toris “What are the other examples I was going to use?”

Toris made a slightly panicked face as he quickly tapped at the computer “Um... seahorses, hyenas, cuttlefish, and the milkman discus fish.”

Alfred made a face “Seahorses... everyone knows about seahorses. Hyenas are freaky. I would rather not explain them. Hmmm.... cuttlefish are good but we already have other examples of sneak breeding. So let’s go with discus fish!” He clapped his hands “Alright. The male discus fish takes better care of his offspring than many of the other males in the animal kingdom. The male and female form a monogamous pair and then find a place to lay the eggs. The female guards the eggs and the male guards her. When the eggs hatch both parents will try to help the young get out by nibbling on the egg’s outer barrier. Both parents secrete a sort of milky fluid from their skin. This is triggered by the same hormones that trigger mammalian females to lactate. Both the male and female will continue to feed the young until they are old enough to find their own food. And with that we are done!”

Alfred sighed as he turned to gather up his things. He packed up his laptop into his backpack. He snatched up his motorcycle helmet from the chair and started toward the door. Halfway across the room he stopped. Holy fucking gorgeous, as his students would say. Standing in the doorway was the Englishmen from the previous night. A tendril of fear went down his spine even as his heart began to race. His mouth began to water and... shit! He placed a hand up to his neck. He was bleeding again. What the hell!?

The Brit was not dressed in such formal attire as he was the night before. He leaned against the doorway wearing a white t-shirt with a long sleeve white jacket, black leather pants with a red stripe down the left leg, and a brown belt with several small silver hoops dangling from it. The fashion was creative if not a bit odd, and yet Alfred found it sexier than hell. He looked as if he were a cross between a geek and a casual dominatrix. The man smiled, his jade-green eyes gazed at him with such mischief and cunning “Hello again.”

Alfred tried his best to smile and not stutter. Why was the man here? Was he stalking him? “Hello. What brings you to the university?”

“I have an acquaintance here.”

“Really? Who?”

“Mr. Honda.”

Alfred was surprised “You know Kiku?”

Now the Brit looked a little shocked “You call him by his first name?” he smirked “He must like you a lot.” He waved a hand as if to dismiss he own words.

“Are you a professor too? Do you teach the same subject?”

“No I do not teach. Mr. Honda and I are old friends and we share a great interest in the same subject matter. When I was young my parents visited my family in Japan quite often and that is how I met Kiku.”

“Family in Japan?” Alfred looked him up and down “But your accent and your looks. You’re clearly from Brittan.”

The Englishman chuckled “We were visiting some very extended family.” He straightened “I’m afraid last night we did not properly introduce ourselves. I am Arthur Kirkland.” He extended a hand “And you are?”

Alfred’s gaze was drawn to Arthur’s parted lips. Visceral memory of the dream seared through him, of kissing that mouth, of feeling the mouth of his skin... his erection throbbed in his jeans. Alfred used his backpack in a vain attempt to hide it. “I’m Alfred. Alfred F. Jones.”

Arthur smiled “I bet you get a lot of jokes regarding your last name.”

Alfred shrugged “I don’t mind. Besides, that character is kind of my idol.” Arthur raised a brow as if he were intrigued “Being an awesome hero and all that. Who doesn’t want to be that?”

Arthur made no move to hide the way his eyes traveled the length of Alfred’s body before looking back up to catch his gaze “You certainly are a hero.” He turned to look around Alfred “It seems another professor is coming in.” he smirked “Might I interest you in coming down to the café with me just down stairs?” He looked at his watch “It is about time for afternoon tea.”

“You mean the Starbucks?” Alfred knew an invitation when he heard one. He also knew he shouldn’t accept, but the thought of a warm delicious vanilla white mocha had him drooling. “Hell yeah!” He followed the Brit out of the lecture hall and down the two flights of stares. His heart was practically pounding in his chest as he walked behind the Brit. He tried to calm himself. It was just coffee and the man probably just wanted to ask him more questions about the painting. Maybe he was an art collector of some sort? When they got to the register Alfred ordered his very favorite mocha and Arthur, not much to Alfred’s surprised, ordered an Earl Gray tea. 

They sat down at a table right next to the window. Alfred turned to look through the glass and out to the campus beyond. The campus was old and all the buildings were made from bricks. In Alfred’s opinion, this gave the school a historic and almost enlightened aura about it. He much rather preferred this then some of the newer more modern looking colleges that seemed so detached and scientific in their architecture. The campus was draped within the veil of fall. The canopies of the tall oaks and amber trees were a cluster of orange, yellow, and red leaves. Alfred smiled. He loved fall. It was actually his favorite season. The weather was cool and the whole world seemed to be alive with color. It was the same in spring, but the heat would always sour his mood. 

“I heard your lecture.”

Alfred turned, realizing that he had been daydreaming and completely forgetting the man across from him. Panicking slightly do to his rude behavior, no matter how unintentional, he grinned and asked “Y-You did? Well I hope it wasn’t to boring for you.”

Arthur shook his head as he tugged on the teabag, making little ripples on the surface of the steaming water in his cup. “You seem well versed in the many aspects of animals.”

Alfred shrugged “Animals and nature have always interested me.”

“Is that why you have a painting of a golden fox?”

Alfred smirked inwardly, so this meeting was about the painting. He didn’t know why, but he was a little disappointed. “No. I painted that when I started high school.”

“Really?”

“Yeah.” Alfred paused, not exactly sure how much information to tell Arthur “I just sort of had the urge to do it one night. Though I think I expelled all my creativity into that one painting because I haven’t been able to draw anything sense. Not even a stick figure.” He laughed. He opened his mouth to say something more when an image, almost like a snapshot from a movie, flashed before his mind. A women walking down a staircase and she tripped on the highest step. Forgetting about Arthur completely Alfred immediately began looking around. Directly behind them was a staircase. He looked up and saw a women in a pink shirt, just like the one in his vision. He got up from the table and dashed around the banister. He ascended the first step just as her sandal slipped out from under her and she went falling forward. With arms out wide he ran up the steps and caught her. A startled gasp escaped her as he clung to him out of reflex.

Alfred released a withheld breath. He didn’t know why he got these visions, but over the years he had come to accept them. They had started when he was very young and had never really disappeared. He had tried explaining them to adults but they had all just assumed he was insane. When his parents had threatened to take him to a psychiatrist he had learned to keep his unique abilities a secret. He would see accidents or bad things happened before they ever did. Alfred didn’t know if it was a sixth sense or if it was déjà vu of some sort, but he never complained. Every time he helped or saved a person it gave a little thrill and boost of energy. It made him feel important and his countless heroic actions had earned him a reputation at the college. The girl pushed away from him and moved to stand back on her feet. She looked down at her busted flip flop. “Damn it. Stupid thing almost killed me!” she growled at the shoes before turning to him with a dazzling smile “Thank you so much.”

Alfred couldn’t help his overly wide grin “You’re more then welcome. Don’t worry about it.” He turned and walked back down the stares, fully aware that he was the new topic of conversation in the small café. He sat back down at the table and sent an apologetic look Arthur’s way “Sorry about that.”

Arthur didn’t say anything, just stared at him with a calculating gaze. After what seemed like an eternity he smiled “Interesting.” He closed his eyes and took a sip of his tea.

“Um, I believe we were talking about the painting right?”

Arthur didn’t answer. Instead he said “I can tell you put your heart and soul into everything you do.”

Alfred froze. Heart and soul. Those were the exact words that mystery man in his dreams kept repeating. He swallowed hard. Alfred’s heart slammed in his chest painfully hard. He found he could barely breathe. His mind echoed with the sound of night wind brushing through crackling leaves. 

“Do you want to live?”

A childlike voice murmured in his mind. Did he want to live? What kind of question was that!? He gasped when he felt something warm touch his face. He opened his eyes, he hadn’t even realized he had closed them, and found Arthur’s right hand cupping and caressing his cheek. “Are you alright?” he asked. 

The thumb brushing over his skin felt too wonderful. It made Alfred want to invite the man back to his apartment and see what other wonderful feelings those hands could invoke. Maybe he could even invoke some feeling from the Brit with his own hands. God he just wanted to... purr. The thought made him move away from the other’s touch. He knew he was blushing even as he said “No, I’m fine thanks. Maybe it’s just low blood sugar. I probably just need to eat something.”

That caused Arthur to smile “Would you be willing to let me take you out to dinner?”

Alfred blinked “What?”

Arthur only seemed to be more amused by his lack of understanding “I’m asking you out.” He tilted his head in such a way that those green eyes framed by that charming face and honey mop of hair could be used to their full advantage “Perhaps maybe after we’re done eating you can show me that painting of yours.”

Alfred frowned “If you want the painting, it’s not for sale.”

Arthur chuckled “No. I don’t want the painting. I’m interested in something far more... intriguing.” 

Alfred weighed all the pros and cons in his mind. It was obvious now, more then before at least, that the man was interested in him. If Alfred’s body was any indication the feeling was entirely mutual. He gave the guy a hard stare. He usually didn’t find men attractive, but it seemed Arthur Kirkland was a very special case. Maybe it was the accent? American’s always did have a secret lust for the English. Certainly the thought of having a night of pleasure with Arthur was not an unpleasant one. His body was telling him yes, but his mind was still very suspicious. Maybe it would change over dinner. Taking a chance he nodded “Alright. But I don’t promise anything after dinner.” He smirked “I’m not that easy.”

Arthur smiled around his tea “I have never been fond of easy.” He said.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry if the biology stuff dragged some of you down. When I do write animal based or animal eared people fics I do tend to write in some, what I believe to be, interesting biology stuff because I am studying to be a zoologist after all. I think it adds depth and the occasional informational highlight along with all the smexy seduction goodness.  
> The animal examples above were from my notes in my animal behavior class. My teacher passed out these comic like pictures to help us learn them. I have since found out, from a few reviewers, that these comics are done by the artist Humon.


	4. Chapter Four

Alfred noticed the heat that came into Arthur eyes when he saw the motorcycle. He smirked. The sleek black beauty was a sight to behold. He put on his helmet, which had the United States flag on it, over his head. He walked over and straddled the seat. He always loved the feel and power of motorcycles, not to mention their speed.

“I have seen this bike before.” Arthur frowned “Didn’t this belong to Kiku?”

Alfred flipped up the visor and smiled “Yeah, it did. I bought it off him when he got his latest one.” Alfred looked down at the bike as he turned the key and let the engine roar to life. “He said it was modeled after some famous bike in an anime called Durarara... oh something like that.”

“Are we really going to take your bike?” Arthur turned to look over his shoulder “My car is just around the corner.”

Alfred rolled his eyes “Like any car could compare to this beautiful lady.” He stroked the front of the bike like one would a cat. 

Arthur looked unamused by his comment. He raised a brow “It’s a jag.”

Alfred eyes went wide. The Brit had a Jaguar? His gaze scanned the man up and down. Just how much money did he have? “You’re pulling my leg.”

Arthur shook his head, smirking “I am quite serious.” He stepped closer to the practically purring motorcycle “Although... I have never ridden a bike before.” Alfred noticed a pink tongue brush over his bottom lip. “I suppose trying something new is good once in a while.” He sighed “Do you know where Northwest Glisan Street is?” Alfred nodded “Northwest Glisan and twelfth. How do I get on?”

Alfred grinned and handed Arthur his secondary black helmet which he always kept just in case. “Put this on, sit behind me, and hold on tight.”

Arthur put on the helmet and swung his leg over the bike to sit behind Alfred “Hold on to what?”

Alfred laughed “To me, silly.” Almost immediately Alfred felt two arms wrap around his torso.

“That, I can do.”

Alfred gulped. Dear god the man was taking every opportunity that was presented to him. It was nice but also a little unnerving to be wanted so blatantly. Alfred knocked up the kickstand, rolled the bike backward, and then they were off. 

Alfred wove through the late-afternoon traffic with amazing skill, agility, and just a dash of recklessness. He was thankful that the noises of the city and the helmets kept them from having to deal with the hassle of a conversation. Alfred sighed. He was already mentally worried enough as it was. In less time then Alfred expected, they pulled onto a tiny back street behind a row of renovated building, then parked in a postage-stamp-sized parking lot along the two-story stone wall that bordered the historic district. Across the street was a Hawaiian looking establishment complete with calming waterfall. The sign next to the tiki mask read ‘Trader Vic’s’.

Alfred cut the engine and then got off his bike. He removed the helmet and stared at the restaurant in slight awe. It looked... expensive. He quickly glanced around. He had never really been to this part of the city before so he was a little unsure of what to expect. “What is this place?”

“You have never been here before?” Arthur chuckled as he set the helmet down of the bike handle. Alfred turned to look at him, his eyes widened. The man’s hair was completely tussled and a mass atop his head. His face was flushed and Arthur was also stretching, his arms bent behind his head as he arched his back forward. Alfred suppressed the urge to gulp. The Brit looked as if he had just had a passionate make out session. The other man noticed his gaze and grinned “Meat.”

Alfred face exploded in a dark red blush “What!”

Arthur smirked “Meat. The have delicious BBQ spareribs here.” He winked as he walked past Alfred and across the street. Alfred rolled his eyes and mentally cursed as he turned to follow the other man.

The restaurant was definitely elegant and they were seated almost instantaneously. One of the server girls, upon noticing Arthur, had practically escorted them to a table in the back of the room. The tiki torches and candles within colored glass jars were the only light. They cast the room in a somewhat romantic and secluded island paradise feel. Alfred glanced around, already feeling uncomfortable. The Brit had asked him out- which meant that he was paying wasn’t he? If he was then he certainly was wasting no expense to seduce him. He wasn’t sure if he should feel impressed, flattered, or cheap. In any case he reclined back against the booth and took up one of the menus. There were only five appetizer dishes and the next three pages were nothing but alcoholic beverages. 

When the waiter came around to take their order Alfred took Arthur advice and ordered some spareribs as well as some alcohol drink called a zombie. It supposedly consisted of light and dark rums, grenadine, and curacao. The name itself had convinced Alfred he had to have it. Arthur had ordered the same appetizer as him but when it had come to his drink he had looked to Alfred with a glint in his eyes and asked “Would you mind sharing a drink with me?” Alfred had shrugged his shoulders. He was not particularly a light weight drinker so more then one drink wouldn’t really do anything to him. 

The moment the waiter had left Alfred turned to Arthur with a mocking expression “Trying to get me drunk?”

“It wound make seducing you a lot easier.” Arthur admitted as he slid over next to Alfred so that there was little less then and inch between them. 

Alfred raised a brow “You really are persistent, aren’t you.” The question was rhetorical. 

Arthur gazed directly into his eyes. “I know what I want, and I will stop at nothing to have it.”

Alfred couldn’t help the grin the spread across his face “Arrogant.”

“Then are you saying you do not like all this?” Arthur challenged. He gestured with a wave of his hand to the ambience around them. 

“No, I like it. It’s just that I would have been just as happy going to McDonalds.”

The sentence seemed to cause the Brit’s mind to explode. His face was absolutely horror stricken the second before the man glared at him “You can not be serious? Fast food is not in the least bit romantic.” He nearly hissed.

Alfred did not hear a word the Brit was saying. As soon as Arthur’s expression had change his eyes had come alight with some internal fire. The green irises practically glowed. The color had almost a magical quality to it, as if it were a form of intimidation and power. It reminded Alfred of something besides the man in his erotic nightmares. Hadn’t he seen something that glowed like that when he was in grad school? Oh yes, the bioluminescence in fungi- also know as foxfire or fairy fire. How odd that the man’s eyes would remind him of that. “Your eyes.”

Arthur stopped in mid sentence “My eyes?”

Alfred continued to stare for another moment before he looked away “You’re really cute when you’re angry. You know that?” 

It brought him sincere joy when he saw a light pink tinge come over Arthur’s face. The man turned away as the waiter returned with their food, mumbling “Git.” under his breath.

Alfred’s mouth had practically fallen open when he saw Arthur’s drunk. The liquid combination of white rums, Amaretto, and fruit juices was served in large white conk shell decorated in pink and white irises. Two long straws rested on top of the shell. “What is that?”

“It’s called a Rum Giggle.” Arthur explained “I have never ordered it before because it is specially designed for lovers.” He picked up one of the irises in his hand.

Alfred looked from Arthur to the clam bowl and then to the small flaming rack of searing meat. His mouth began to water uncontrollably. The meat smelled so delicious and the fact that he could hear and see it still sizzling only made him want it more. He closed his eyes and took in the scent. Meat, the heady tang of alcohol and something... something earthy. What was that? It wasn’t coming from the food of that he was sure. He turned his head and tried to follow the scent. Perhaps it was the flowers? His nose bumped into something. He opened his eyes to find himself staring face to face with Arthur, their noses touching. To say Alfred was embarrassed would be an understatement. 

“Do you like my scent?” Before Alfred could comment Arthur moved his neck to one side, exposing the creamy skin of his throat. Alfred didn’t know why but he felt as if something overtook him. A creature deep with a dark and hidden part of him awoke. Alfred stared at the Brit’s neck, his heart pounding in his ears. Subconsciously he leaned forward and breathed in Arthur’s scent, pressing his lips against his skin. He smelled like rain, night, and forest. Alfred’s breath hitched as he moved away. The scent teased the elusive edges of his memory. The smell of the man seems so exciting and yet so... nostalgic. 

Alfred gasped when he felt Arthur press closer, pressing his own nose and mouth against Alfred’s neck. “H-hey, what are you doing?”

“You sniffed me. It’s only fair I get to sniff you in return.” A tongue came out to lick along the line of his pulse. “You smell and taste as good as I remember.” He practically moaned. Alfred tried to hold back the waves of sensation and need trying to drag down his body. He had this carnal desire to throw the other man on the table and take him right there in front of everyone. He didn’t care if they saw. They would know Arthur was his. He could feel the blood trailing down his neck. He cringed. Great, that was just what he needed. Now this whole thing would have to stop all because his body couldn’t coagulate correctly. Wait... didn’t he want it to stop?

“Arthur.” Alfred tried to push the Brit away “My neck. It’s bleeding.”

Arthur moved away slightly to look down at the two puncture wounds. “So it is.” He licked his lips “Let me help you with that.” He pulled down the collar of Alfred’s shirt and ran his tongue over the wounds. Alfred gasped loudly. He hadn’t been surprised so much at the action as the overwhelming sexual lust that practically crashed into his body. He fought to regain control.

Arthur pulled away with a knowing grin “There. The bleeding will stop... for now.” Words escaped Alfred as he continued to just stare at the man next to him. Arthur leaned in “Kiss me.”

“What?” Alfred jerked in his seat when Arthur’s face continued to lean in. 

Arthur’s smile remained but his eyes sharpened into something feral. “I want you to kiss me.”

Alfred gulped. The Brit had no idea how much he wanted to do just that “Um... we just met.” The excuse sounded lame even to his own ears.

“It’s just a kiss. No harm ever came from a simple kiss.”

Alfred wasn’t sure if that was entirely true. “You really wanna kiss me that badly?” The Brit looked so anxious. Alfred nibbled on his lower lip. It was just a kiss and if the man tried to do anything he could easily overpower him. More then that, however, Alfred could not recall any action hero he knew of that had ever said no to a kiss. 

Sitting in the all too comfortable secluded booth, Alfred stared down into Arthur’s dark green eyes. His beautiful face came closer. Alfred felt breath on his lips. Then, ever so slowly, Arthur’s tongue grazed across his bottom lip. Alfred didn’t even try to resist. His lips opened. Dear god, his tongue met its match. The almost immediate battle for dominance was sweet and hot. In one fast grab, Alfred wrapped an arm around Arthur and hauled him against his hard, lean chest. The erection in his jeans was so rigid Alfred wondered if it would have the power to break the zipper. The fire within that one kiss could have lit all of Portland. Alfred’s hands worked down Arthur’s back to grab his ass, forcing him even closer. Why had he been reluctant to kiss this man again? He forgot.

Heat coursed up his spine like a molten river. He needed more- craved more. He wanted more skin, more fighting, more of Arthur’s delicious smell. He wanted the man under him and screaming his name in that wonderful English accent. Oh yes, please. How soon could he get their clothes off? He felt Arthur’s hand scrape down his chest. He thought the hand would go to his groin but instead it curved over his hip and gripped him with quite a force. Alfred didn’t need any encouragement. He thrust his tongue even further into Arthur’s mouth, giving as good as he got. His body felt as if it were slowly coming alive. 

Alfred heard the clanking of plates. He froze. The restaurant. Fuck, what was he doing!? He’d lost his flaming mind! He had to practically rip himself away from Arthur and when he did the newly awakened thing inside him seemed to roar with rage. Arthur’s green eyes looked shocked but still heavy-lidded. The kiss had been so natural, so wild, and... so hauntingly familiar. 

The hair rose on the back of Alfred’s neck. He knew those lips, he knew that tongue, and he even knew that odd feral flavor and scent. He knew that kiss. “Um...” fuck he didn’t even know what to say.

Arthur leaned back, his face concerned “You even taste like a human.” Alfred raised a brow at him, obviously expecting Arthur to elaborate but he didn’t. “The food is getting cold and alcohol is usually better when it isn’t water down by melting ice.” He gestured to the table. “Shall we?”

The rest of the dinner was spent talking about Arthur’s travels to nearly every nation in the world and which ones he preferred over others. The topic mainly being about Arthur allowed Alfred to keep up polite conversation while not having to come up with answers he himself didn’t know. He finished his practically mouth watering drink and nearly half the spareribs. The meat tasted spicy and delicious. The last thing they shared was that ridiculously feminine looking shell drink Arthur had ordered, however, after one sip Alfred was glad he had. It was possibly the tastiest alcoholic beverage he had ever had. Even better then the zombie. 

Despite the Brit’s protests to take him back to the college so he could drive his car home Alfred just drove him to the hotel where he was staying. Getting the name out of the slightly tipsy man had been a challenge in and of itself. It seemed Arthur could be rather stubborn when he wanted to be. Alfred had been forced to promise the man that some time soon he could come over to look at the painting in order for Arthur to even consider telling him where he was staying. He just kept saying “I am fine. This minor amount of alcohol will go through my system in an hour or so. There is not need for such a fuss.”

“A hero does not let a drunk person drive home. Tell me where you are staying.”

Arthur eventually told him, and when Alfred pulled up in the lobby he wasn’t at all surprised to see how high class the hotel was. The man liked to travel in style and he supposed Arthur could afford to. The man had never said what his job was but Alfred knew it had to pay well. Arthur dismounted the bike and took off the helmet. His hair, once again, was in an adorable tussled mess. He turned to Alfred with pink cheeks as he smiled and handed over the helmet. “I’ll see you tomorrow.”

“Two days in a row? Don’t you think that’s a bit much?” He asked, though the laughter in his eyes told Arthur he was teasing.

“Not when you are enjoying the other’s company.” Arthur leaned in until their lips were almost touching “Besides, I don’t want anyone else snatching you up in my absence.”

Alfred laughed “No one has found me interesting in the last few months so I think you’re fine.”

“Regardless. I protect what I like.”

Alfred so wanted Arthur to kiss him. They were so close, he could even feel the warmth of his breath, but the man moved away and waved a hand over his shoulder. “Good night American.”


	5. Chapter Five

“Um, excuse me Mr. Jones.”

Alfred stopped his backpack stuffing ritual. He turned to see a rather boyishly cute young man with sandy brown hair. “Hi, Mr. Galante. What can I do for you?”

The boy looked at his sneakers for a minute. ‘Boy’ wasn’t quite the appropriate description. Ravis Galante was likely twenty-one to twenty-two. Hell, Alfred himself was not that much older then the boy. “Sir, I wondered if I might have a word with you.”

“Sure.” Alfred grinned. At that moment he didn’t have any obligations really so he might as well make some time for his student “I was just going down to the Starbucks on the lower level. That work for you?” 

The boy nodded “That’s great. Just let me finish something up really quickly first.” He then looked to Alfred’s shoulder “Will you be able to sit down with your cat?”

Alfred stared at him in confusion for only a second before turning to his right shoulder. A small Himalayan kitten had fastened itself to his shoulder with its tiny little claws and seemed more then content to stay there and ride Alfred through his entire day at work. Alfred smiled “They’ll have to because he’s not coming off.” And indeed he wasn’t. Alfred had tried to pry the little guy off earlier that morning and had only succeeded in having his thumb bitten. They left the classroom, Alfred heading toward the stairs and Ravis off toward the chemistry building.

The kitten was only just a recent addition to his life. He had woken up that morning to his landlady knocking on his door. When he answered the elderly woman had given him a white box with a red ribbon and said “This was brought for you. The man said it was urgent that you open it immediately.” Alfred at first thought it was about his job or laboratory studies but the present looking package had not seemed appropriate for that. Opening the lid he had discovered two bright blue eyes staring up at him in genuine curiosity. He had lifted the kitten out of the box, his face alight with sock and joy. Luckily when his landlady saw the kitten she had only cooed about how cute it was and told him that though pets were not really allowed she would make an exception. The tag around the kitten’s neck had just said ‘He reminded me of you. –Arthur’

It had been about six days since he had first met the strange Brit, Arthur Kirkland. They had been going out to eat or just talk over drinks nearly every night. Alfred blushed. He didn’t know weather an almost solid week of dating labeled them as a couple or not and he sure as hell was not going to bring the subject up with Arthur... well, at least not yet. He found he enjoyed the other man’s company and didn’t want to ruin whatever this magical connection was they had by over thinking or trying to determine everything. He just... wanted to be with him. He absently scratched the cat’s ears. Some men sent flowers, chocolate, even meat... his had sent a kitten. 

“Alfred-san.” Alfred stopped at the top of the stairs and looked behind him, seeing Kiku walking toward him.

“Oh hey, Kiku.” He grinned “I was just going down for a coffee. You wanna come along?” He winked “I’ll pay this time.”

Kiku laughed and smiled “I accept your offer.” He began to walk down the stares with him. The Japanese man’s eyes never left the kitten on Alfred’s shoulder. “Alfred-san, where did you get that cat?”

“Arthur gave it to me.” The conversation paused as both of them ordered their drinks and then resumed when they sat at a table. Alfred couldn’t help his grin “He says the two of you are good buds. Arthur, I mean.”

Kiku’s cheeks darkened a bit “Buds? Oh, well we are very old friends yes.”

“How long have you two known each other?”

“We were very young when we first met. We formed an alliance and have been like that ever sense. I am happy to see you two are getting along so well.”

Alfred laughed, a little nervously “Yeah, I do like him. It’s just... he’s a bit weird at times.” He glanced down at his coffee and then back to Kiku. The man was his friend but he didn’t know if talking with him about some of his concerns was really something Kiku was willing to do. 

“Weird? How so?”

“Well, for one he seems very possessive of me. I don’t really mind that as long as it doesn’t go too far but for him to be acting like that when we just started knowing one another is a bit odd.”

“Animals do the same, no?” Kiku pointed out “It your lectures you a referencing many species that make a choice on a particular mate and then stay with that mate for the remainder of that mates life.” His smiled was knowing. “It is hard to believe, or have you just not thought that perhaps Arthur considers you as such?”

Alfred’s face was now a deep red “Mate?” he laughed “Don’t be silly Kiku. Animal mating behavior does not apply here. It doesn’t apply to humans in general.”

“Why not?”

“Well...” he paused, crap he had really boxed himself in a corner. “For one, humans are more complicated. They tend to think rather then trust their instincts and with humans there is always the important basic need for love.”

“It is not so different or as complicated as you might think Alfred-san.” He picked up his tea and took a sip. From the smell of it Alfred could tell it was green tea with a hint of honey. “I have known Arthur-san for many years. He is not the type of man to take a relationship as important as this lightly. Allow me to ask you this. What do your instincts tell you?”

“My instincts?” he pursed his lips “I... want to be with him.”

Kiku smirked “Alfred-san. Did you also know that kitsune can become quite fierce when guarding their mates?”

“You mean just like real foxes. Yeah, I know. Before the initial copulation the male will usually become severely protective of the female and aggressive toward other males. After the initial copulation the pair is boded until the pups are ready to set out on their own. There have been some records, however, of foxes mating for life and having multiple litters as well as foxes sharing mates, dens, and litters. I should know. One of the first mammals I studied in the field were foxes and wolves.”

Kiku smirked “Wolves and foxes are very much alike. Shall I tell you something else about kitsune?”

“You know I like mythology so go on ahead.” 

“Kitsune have a mating season as well. During the months of October and November it is required for all sexually mature and powerful kistune to go out into the human towns and cities and find themselves a mate. Their population was not what it used to be in ancient times you see and the magic had become severely weakened because of inbreeding. So they acquired human mates. It was required for every kitsune to have a mate before the end of the mating season otherwise they were banished.”

“Banished? Why?”

Kiku shrugged “It was just the law. It is rumored that kistune, once they had chosen their mate, became very much attuned to that mate’s emotions. Even the simplest touch would make them aware if a potential rival or threat was near their mate.” He held out his hand. “Shall we test it?”

Alfred raised a brow and looked from Kiku to his hand. “Test what exactly?” When the other man didn’t answer Alfred just laid his hand in Kiku’s. The Japanese man then immediately wound their fingers together in an intimate way. The palm he touched felt warm and smooth. As they sat there is silence Alfred busied himself with noticing a few inane details. Such as how nice and clean Kiku’s nails looked. He observed their entwined hands with a bit of confusion. What did this have to do with anything Kiku had been talking about?

“Ahem.”

“Hello, Lord Honda.”

Alfred nearly jumped in his seat. He turned to find Arthur and a man he didn’t know standing right next to the table. When the hell had they gotten there?! His eyes immediately went to Arthur, who looked from their grasped hands to Kiku and then fixed Alfred with a less then amused look. Alfred let go of Kiku as if the black haired man had burned him. Arthur smiled “Alfred, I do believe you are done for today correct?” Alfred nodded “Wonderful.” He sent a glance Kiku’s way that was colder then dry ice. “How about you take me back to your apartment? I believe it is time I saw that painting.”

“Um, sure.” Alfred grabbed his cup and drank the rest of it down in a series of gulps. Once finished he then set the cup back on the table “But I’m meeting a student here in a few moments.”

“Not a problem.” In one fluid motion Arthur grabbed two chairs and spun them around to face the table, he and the stranger sat down in synch. “I’ll more then happily wait.” 

A chuckled caused Arthur’s attention to turn back to Kiku, who apparently was trying not to laugh. “What are you laughing at?” Alfred’s gaze turned toward the stranger. He hand long rich brown hair that was tied back in a ponytail. The Chinese style of clothes he wore complimented his Asian features and the cloth shimmered like real red silk. The man’s chocolate brown eyes were hard and unfeeling as he stared at Kiku with a patronizing gaze. 

“Oh, I completely forgot to introduce you.” Arthur smiled, though it did not reach his eyes. “Alfred, this is Consort Yao Wang.” Yao’s steely brown eyes shifted to look at Alfred “Yao, this is soon to be Consort Alfred Jones.”

Yao’s harsh gaze lessened a bit at the mention of Alfred’s introduction “Who’s consort?”

At that, the delight and usual life returned to Arthur’s eyes. “Mine.” Alfred stared back and forth between the two men, at a complete loss as to what was going on. Consort? Wasn’t that a word used more often in Britain? “I see you loved my present.” Alfred’s thoughts were brought back to the conversation as Arthur leaned over and scratched the cat’s right ear. The kitten purred loudly. 

“I was surprised that you would give him such an interesting gift, Arthur-san.” 

Arthur turned to look at Kiku “I need someone on my side when I’m not around.” 

Kiku’s face drained of all amusement “Alfred-san and I were discussing the mating rituals of select species of animals and relating it to Japanese mythology. I was explaining to him how Kitsune can feel their mates emotions and that is how they know when to come to them.” He smiled again, though this time it was clearly a challenge “I was merely doing a demonstration of a mate’s loyalty.” His eyes first remained on Arthur and then turned to Yao. The brunet stared at him for a moment longer before sighing and looking away. Kiku then looked back to Arthur, who after a second turned his head and exposed the side of his neck. Kiku smiled, genuinely “Apology accepted.”

Ok, now Alfred was really confused. He was never happier when Ravis showed up. As it turned out the kid wanted Alfred to write him a letter of recommendation. Alfred quickly found himself wrapped up in explaining what Ravis would have to do to earn a master degree and did not even notice when Kiku and Yao excused themselves. Arthur continued to sit, watching him with an amused smile. When Ravis finally did leave, Alfred turned to look out the café and saw the setting sun. “Wow, how long have we been here?”

“Several hours.” Arthur said as he sipped a steaming cup of tea. Alfred was sure the Brit had bought it when he wasn’t looking. 

He felt guilty. When Arthur had arrived the man had seemed so annoyed and angered and then with everything else “I’m sorry.” Alfred frowned. No, a simple apology wasn’t good enough. Oh, he knew what he could do! With a smirk he leaned down and brushed his tongue over Arthur’s lips, tasting the bitterness of the tea he was drinking. He pulled back, licking his lips. Arthur’s eyes were wide in shock and Alfred could see the burning fire that had been ignited within them. Good. In a split second decision he told himself he would fuel that fire later on tonight. 

He turned to grab his backpack but found it gone. He blinked and then started frantically looking around. Where the hall was it?! He had been here the whole time so it couldn’t have been stolen. He paused, a thought occurring to him. He rolled his eyes. He had never grabbed the bag because Ravis had distracted him. It was probably still in the classroom. He turned toward Arthur “I’ll be right back. I left my pack in the room.” The Brit nodded in understanding. He briskly walked away and ascended the stairs two at a time. 

He walked down the vacant and quiet hall, reaching the door in no time. He opened it, grabbed his pack, and then shut it. He was searching for his keys in order to lock the door when he heard a loud crash from somewhere close. He stopped. It had sounded like a desk being turned over or something crashing to the floor. Concerned that a fight had somehow broken out Alfred turned and, hoisting the bag over his shoulder, walked toward the noise. The kitten on his shoulder had his ears flat against his head and dug his claws deeper into Alfred’s skin. Alfred walked until he came to the auditorium that was nearly at the end of the hall. He grasped the handle and was about to open the door in once quick motion when he heard Kiku’s voice say “You’re lousing control again.” He paused. Kiku was in there? He still opened the door but more slowly, trying not to make a sound. He peeked through the small opening.

Yao stood before Kiku, glaring at him. Atop his head were two long and tall brown fox ears and behind him swayed a long and thin brown tail. He stood in front of Kiku with a hand on his hip, obviously agitated. Swifter then Alfred would have even thought possible Yao kicked off from the ground and tackled Kiku. Alfred opened his mouth to yell but Kiku, in mid air, flipped their positions so that when they landed Yao was underneath him. Kiku quickly moved to straddle his waist and lock his hands above his head. Kiku grinned down at Yao as he leaned upward. Atop his own head were two black ears and a rather luscious but short tail flipped behind him is excitement. “I told you it was only a test.” Kiku said softly and without inflection. Yao continued to glare up at him. Kiku sighed and in one smooth motion lean down and pressed his lips to Yao, making the Chinese man’s eyes widen in surprise. Alfred’s hand slapped to his mouth. W-What the hell was going on!

When Kiku pulled away Yao seemed significantly calmer. The brunet pouted “You know how I get when I see other’s touch you.” He moved to lean up and Kiku let go of his wrists. Yao’s hands went to the black buttons on Kiku’s shirt, ripping them open before running his hands up Kiku’s flat stomach. “You are mine.” A purring noise filled the room “I think you should make it up to me.” A hand disappeared behind Kiku’s back. 

Kiku gasped a second later and a growl emitted from his throat “It is not my turn.”

“True, but after what you did you will give me this.” Yao snapped his fingers and suddenly a yellow light illuminated the room before zapping though the air and winding around Kiku’s wrists, binding them behind his back. 

Having seen enough Alfred moved away from the door, still covering his mouth. He couldn’t make sense of what he just saw. It was... unnatural. He bolted, running down the hall and toward the stairs. To his surprise Arthur met him at the top. Before he could even say anything the Brit rushed to him “Blooyd hell, are you alright? You look like you’ve just seen a ghost.”

“I...” He didn’t know what to say. If he told Arthur what he had just seen then the man would probably start running for the hills. He swallowed and tried to calm his nerves. Who would believe him? The whole thing sounded like some sort of bad dream. Though Alfred knew it wasn’t, because he would never have a dream about Kiku and Yao- besides the fact that he a just met Yao! He looked down at Arthur. “Can we go to my apartment now? I’m feeling a little... exhausted.”

.:.:.:.:.:.:.:.:.:.:.:.

After Alfred opened the door and invited Arthur inside he closed it, locked it, and then tossed the keys on the table along with his backpack. “Would you like anything to drink?”

Arthur looked around the relatively moderate sized apartment. It was nice and at least halfway clean. There were a few dirty dishes in the skin and some clothes here and there on the floor but the apartment did not smell of anything unpleasant. Arthur took in a long whiff, nope just Alfred’s cinnamon and vanilla scent. “Tea. If you have it.” He answered over his shoulder. Alfred moved passed him and into the kitchen. Arthur continued to look around “Where is the painting?”

“In the living room over the TV.” Alfred answered “Hey, I have chamomile tea. Will that do?”

“Yes.” Arthur turned to walk into the living room, finding it with ease. Chamomile tea. So it seemed Alfred had trouble sleeping. The moment he saw the painting his heart filled with anguish. He made sure that Alfred wasn’t looking before he walked up to the painting, pressing his fingertips against it. The golden fox, which look absolutely breathtaking in the sunlight, opened its eyes. “You can barley move.” Arthur whispered, the words full of pity. He could still hear Alfred messing around in the kitchen. How long had his inner fox been like this? How had he even managed to imprison it? He remembered the American had said he had done the painting in high school, so that had to be several years ago. “You’re starving. I don’t know how you or he have managed to stay alive all these years.” He pressed his forehead against the painting “I’ll feed you tonight.” When he pulled back he saw the fox lift its head.

When Alfred turned the corner, coffee cup full of tea in hand, all he saw was Arthur staring at the picture with a somewhat sorrowful expression. He approached Arthur, offering the cup “I do not think it’s as nice as yours.”

Arthur turned toward him, smiling as he took the cup “Thank you.” Alfred walked over and sat on the couch, crossing his right leg over his left. He looked to Arthur expectantly. “I have to disagree with you. It is yours that is the more beautiful artwork. Golden foxes are significantly rarer then silver or even white foxes.”

Alfred’s gaze went to the ground “Can we not talk about foxes, please?” He leaned back his head and exhaled a long sigh. He didn’t know it, but he was exposing his neck to Arthur. Arthur stared at the smooth tanned flesh with greedy eyes. Whether Alfred knew it or not, that sign of submission was an open invitation for a more dominant male to mark his claim. Arthur took the opportunity for what it was.

He pinned Alfred to the couch as his knee came up and pressed between Alfred’s thighs. Arthur’s hot weight pressed down on him, chest to chest. Alfred’s eyes snapped open and his head came up. Arthur took his mouth in a hungry kiss. Urgency seared through them. Arthur’s knee moved forward, encountering the bulge in Alfred’s pants. He grinned.

Alfred moaned in reply. The kiss deepened, their tongues battling for dominance as Arthur’s hands struggled with his shirt. He shrugged out of the white jacket and then, grabbing the hem, pulled the T-shirt over his head. Alfred’s gaze fell and focused on the flawless flat stomach and chest that was revealed to him not five inches from his face. 

His mouth watered and his breathing quickened. He was a bit astounded by how fast Arthur and all this was moving, but after what he just saw... he needed this. His hand caressed up Arthur’s stomach until his thumbs brushed his pink nipples. The Brit shivered and moaned. Alfred couldn’t resist. He leaned forward and licked one of them. Arthur gasped and the next thing Alfred knew he was pushed to the side, lying lengthwise on the couch, with Arthur on top of him, wedged between his thighs.

Arthur’s eyes were shinning in the darkness like some sort of predator. Alfred had neglected to turn on the light in the living room so the only light that illuminated the darkness was from the kitchen around the corner. Arthur leaned down and with a gentle hand turned Alfred’s face to one side, looking at his neck. “You’re bleeding again.”

Alfred cursed and his hand went to his neck. Unlike the other times it seemed there was quite a bit of blood. When he pulled his hand away his fingertips were stained red. “Shit.” He cursed and tried to get up but Arthur held him down. 

“Calm down. I’ll take care of it.” His tongue, hot and wet, stroked down the long muscles along the side of Alfred’s throat, following the trail of blood. Lips, very gently, sucked. The overwhelming feeling of pleasure assaulted him again. He didn’t even flinch when he felt teeth graze his pulse. Teeth? Alfred frowned. No, not teeth... fangs. He heard Arthur swallow just before the man leaned back up.

Alfred blinked up at him, staring into emerald eyes that possessed slitted vertical pupils, not round ones, like a human. Arthur licked the traces of blood from his lips, making him look all the more menacing. Alfred eyes went wide and he lost all ability to breath. “Arthur?” It had to be a dream. This all had to be one more of his sick twisted dreams. Those haunting slitted eyes were the same ones from all his dreams!

A pair of moonlight silver pointed ears parted the short mess of honey blonde hair that Alfred so loved. Alfred eyes darted to look as something moved behind Arthur. An enormous bushy silver fox tail swayed behind him, moving with the fluidity of flesh and blood. Arthur smiled down at him, showing over-long incisors. “Do I look familiar now, Alfred?”

Every hair on Alfred’s body rose in terror. The echoes of a forgotten nightmare pressed at the edges of his mind and consumed it. He shouted in alarm and shoved upright. “What the fuck!”

Arthur fell backward into the couch, his ears flicking to lay flat against his head in clear annoyance. “Still so very loud. You haven’t changed one bit you know.”

Alfred stumbled backward off the couch until his back hit the wall. His neck throbbed and he could feel more blood dripping down his neck to his chest. His blue eyes were wide with fear as he watched Arthur sit up and stare at him. It was all a dream. Just a very bad dream “You-you’re-” he shook his head. “Who and what the fuck are you!”

Arthur’s green eyes were dark with agitation “Arthur Kirkland. I am a Kitsune, or fox spirit.” His tail flicked behind him “You’d think the ears and tail would give that away.” He moved to lean over the edge of the couch.

“This can’t be real.” Alfred shook his head “You are not real.”

“Oh, I am very real.” Arthur pressed a long-nailed finger against Alfred’s leather jacket. “We made a pact, you and I; a pact that you have yet to fulfill. And it’s past time you lived up to your half of the bargain.”


	6. Chapter Six

“Oh, I am very real.” Arthur pressed a long-nailed finger against Alfred’s leather jacket. “We made a pact, you and I; a pact that you have yet to fulfill. And it’s past the time you should have lived up to your half of the bargain.”

Alfred’s mouth went dry, “Bargain?”

“Your heart and soul belong to me. I already have your soul.” Arthur pressed his palm against his chest, then rolled his eyes, “It’s your heart I’m having a bit of trouble obtaining.” He smiled sourly. “I almost didn’t recognize you at first. You’ve changed so much, in appearance anyway.” He caught Alfred’s chin and tilted his head to the side, focusing on his throat. “You’re so weak. You’re body is begging me to feed you. Your kiss tastes nearly human but your blood does not.”

“Nearly human?” Alfred stiffened and jerked his chin away, “I am human!”

Arthur snorted. One pointed fox ear twitched in disregard, “A rose by any other name is still what it is. You are far from human, despite what you taste like or believe. You haven’t been human since that cold autumn day that I saved your life.”

Alfred swallowed, “You... what?”

Arthur glared down at him, “You still don’t remember?”

“I have no clue what you’re talking about!”

Arthur smirked, “Your mind may not remember me, but your body clearly does. You’re bleeding from my bite. I could smell it from the moment I saw you.” His bite? Alfred pressed his hand against his burning neck. His palm came away wet. He stared at the scarlet streaking his fingertips. Arthur moved to him kneeling before Alfred, “Your body is offering me blood because you’re hungry. In fact, you’re very close to starvation.”

Alfred could not believe what he was hearing, “My body is doing what?”

Arthur’s gaze was narrow and hot, “Your body is begging me to feed you. To maintain a human physical form in this world, I need living blood. To continue existing in your own body, because you have purged the kitsune within you and thus the magic you need to survive without a soul, you must feed from a living spirit.” He leaned forward and brushed his lips against Alfred’s forehead. The gesture felt so familiar and made Alfred’s heart twist in his chest. 

“I... don’t have a soul.”

“No, you gave it to me.” Arthur nuzzled under Alfred’s ear. “You’ve been drinking from the souls of others to make up for your lack.” 

Alfred’s eyes widened and he felt his throat close. “No!” he screamed. Panicked, he pushed Arthur and scrambled to his feet, “I would never do that!”

Arthur growled and tackled him to the ground once more, pinning the younger blonde under him. Arthur grabbed Alfred’s wrists, jerking them up over his head, “Yes, you do.” He didn’t care that Alfred struggled or refused to meet his gaze, the human like strength was nothing compared to his kitsune power. However, Arthur recognized that if the American did have his kistune spirit... he would probably be stronger than even Arthur was. “You have been for years I would guess. It’s how you’ve managed to remain alive.”

“This is bullshit! Let me go!” Alfred jerked at his wrists and twisted, but couldn’t pull free. For the first time, in a very long time, he wasn’t strong enough. That, more then anything, pissed him the hell off. He hated being weak and had sworn an oath to be strong. He looked up at Arthur in complete contempt. “You said you wanted my heart. If you want it so damn badly then just take it. Rip it out of my chest!”

Arthur’s eyes widened as if in horror and his head jerked back, “What?” He shook his head “No you bloody idiot I don’t want your heart...” he frowned, his face taking on a somewhat pained expression, “not in that way.”

“Then what is it?” Alfred asked angrily “Are you here to torture me? Kill me?”

“Kill you?” Arthur made an exasperated sound, “No, moron. I’m trying to save your ungrateful ass.” He released Alfred’s hands and leaned up, straddling and sitting on the American’s waist. 

“Save me?” Alfred pushed up onto his elbows and scowled. “Save me from what? I was just fine until you showed up!”

“You are anything but fine.” 

“There is nothing wrong with me!”

Arthur raised a brow, “Really? Because from what I see you can’t even stand up or get me off of you.” He sighed, “Alfred you should not be this weak.”

“I am not weak!” Alfred glared “I have a shit ton of strength. Sometimes I even break damned near everything I touch.” He pointed toward the corner, indicating something around it, “That bathroom sink has been replaced three times because I cracked the marble!” 

“Because you don’t have enough power to control what strength you have. It’s a wonder you’ve managed to survive this long.”

Alfred scowled, “I told you I’m fine.”

“Again, you are not.” Arthur touched a palm against Alfred’s warm cheek, “Feeding through the people you save is a very clever way to live on the scraps of human passion, but it will not sustain you. It is like a man living on nothing but tofu. You will not die for quite a while but your body will compensate for the lack of nutrients. Though I must admit, it is amazing you found a way that does not kill your prey.”

People you save? Alfred’s blood went ice cold. “What are you saying?”

“You’re taking a little from the soul of everyone you save. Your sixth sense is nothing more than a mechanism that your body has created in order to sustain itself without your kitsune. I could feel the spell the moment you caught the girl on the stairs.”

“I am not!” Alfred raged, “I would never hurt people. I’m the hero remember! I don’t do magic!”

“Alfred you are magic! It’s what you are made of now and it should be consuming every part of you.” His ears flicked backward, “Haven’t you been listening to word I have said?”

“What you’re saying is insane!”

Arthur groaned, “No species does denial quite as well as humans. Think Alfred. What happens after you save someone?”

Alfred blinked, “They are happy and thank me.”

“I mean what do you feel after you save someone?”

“I...feel happy and energized.”

Arthur gave him a look, “Why do you think you feel energized?”

Alfred’s breath hitched. “No!” He closed his eyes tried to struggle as much as possible. His growl sounded suspiciously like a whimper.

“Alfred look at me!” Alfred’s eyes snapped open. Arthur’s emerald gaze bored into him. “You know it is true.”

“It’s like you saying I’m a fucking vampire!”

“I’m saying that your body is missing its soul, so if feeds on the souls of others. You should be happy that your way does not technically hurt people. It is better to feed a little from each individual in a large crowd than to suck just one person completely dry.”

“Stop it!” A choked sob escaped him, “Please, just stop it.”

Arthur’s fingers slid down to grasp the zipper of the leather jacked and unzip it. His hand then slid under Alfred’s shirt, moving it up to expose his chest, “If I drink from you, your body will stop bleeding.” He smiled softly. “Don’t worry. I won’t take much.” Alfred flinched, and hot sticky wetness flowed down to his shoulder. Arthur bent over him. Alfred grabbed for Arthur’s shoulders, knowing damned well he couldn’t do a thing to stop him. “Relax. You’re acting like some frightened virgin.”

“How else am I supposed to act when you’re acting like some lust crazed pervert!”

“Who’s acting?”

Alfred frowned, “Was that supposed to make me feel better?”

“Quit whining and taking it like a man.” Arthur’s mouth pressed against Alfred’s throat. His tongue laved against the seeping scars. Alfred closed his eyes and shivered. Having someone drinking his blood was just weird, and yet it felt incredible. The sensuous movement of lips, tongue, and the warm weight of Arthur’s body pressing into him with that perfectly curved bottom... it was beyond heaven. Arthur swallowed, “Feeling better?” He licked again. Alfred did not answer; he just shifted under the Brit to ease the aching tightness of his jeans. Arthur swallowed again and licked down Alfred’s shoulder, moving his body downward. He shifted between Alfred’s splaying thighs, rubbing what felt like an impressive erection against the seam of Alfred’s jeans. 

A white hot bolt of pleasure forced a gasp from him. He grabbed Arthur’s ass with both hands, squeezing possessively. Why? Why was he doing this? After everything he had just seen and been told... why?! He pulled Arthur closer, feeling his erection once more. A tiny moan of lust escaped.

Arthur leaned up. Crimson was smeared across his bottom lip. He licked it clean. “There, the bleeding has stopped.” 

Alfred hastily released Arthur’s bottom. “Thanks. Now get off me.”

Arthur sighed as he rose off Alfred’s body and got to his feet. Alfred breathed a sigh of relief. Finally the Brit wasn’t rubbing against his groin. One more minute of that torture and he would have cum in his pants. As he too rose to his feet Arthur attacked him, pressing him up against the wall. The Brit traced his fingers down Alfred’s abdomen to fondle his confined crotch with a hot palm. He squeezed. 

Heat and lust erupted up Alfred’s spine and detonated in the back of his skull. He arched against his will and shouted, “Fuck!” Arthur licked his lips and tugged at Alfred’s belt buckle, loosening it. He flicked the button of his jeans open and pulled the zipper down. “You have no idea how long I have wanted to do this.” Arthur whispered sensually. He shoved a hand into Alfred’s jeans and grasped his rigid cock. The warm snug hand surrounding him had every part of him howling in delight. He slammed his head against the wall, gasping. Arthur eased Alfred’s erection free of his jeans, brushing his thumb against the tip of Alfred’s head. The digit came away smeared with precum. 

“Why?” Alfred moaned, “Why are you doing this?”

Arthur pressed a chaste kiss to his cheek, “I thought that answer would be obvious.” His free hand slid up Alfred’s torso to flick and pinch his right nipple between thumb and forefinger. Arthur released a rumbling sound kind of like a purr when Alfred bucked his hips forward unconsciously. “Do that again.” The Brit pressed his own groin against Alfred’s hip so that way when he bucked the motion would also give him pleasure as well. He gave Alfred’s cock a hard, slow pull, and then swiped his finger across the slit. Alfred shuddered with the exquisite torment and groaned loudly.

Arthur pressed his lips over Alfred’s open mouth, his tongue surging in and stroking as though seeking to taste the sounds he made. Alfred stiffened, startled. The invading tongue was gentle, yet thoroughly investigative. The Brit’s taste filled his mouth, making his eyes drift closed. Alfred gave back every ounce of what he got. He deepened the kiss and gently bit at Arthur’s bottom lip. He couldn’t stop himself from arching into Arthur’s touch, deliberately pushing himself into the man’s hand. The hand teasing his nipples moved, grasped Alfred’s own, and brought it down to the Brit’s pants.

Without even a word being spoken, Alfred understood. He practically ripped open Arthur’s pants, finding the man... or kistune’s erection with ease. The moment he touched it Arthur moaned. Alfred opened his eyes. The kiss never broke and Alfred took in the sight of the blushing face, silver ears folded back against his head of blonde hair, and the tail that danced and shimmered in the moonlight. Fuck, he was beautiful. Better than his dreams had ever portrayed him to be. 

He wrapped his fingers around Arthur’s sex, the skin there felt like soft satin. With a firm but not tight grip he began stroking Arthur, making sure to pay particular attention to the head of his cock. They mimicked each other as they both sought to bring the other release. Tension gathered and coiled within him. Desperate sounds escaped them both as they neared the glorious edge of release together. Arthur and Alfred locked their mouth together in a furious kiss as their orgasms overtook them. Cum surged, pumping from both of them in hot spurts that covered both their stomachs. 

Alfred combed his free hand through Arthur’s hair, holding him there while they continued kissing. Arthur’s hands left him and his arms wrapped around his neck. When they pulled back Alfred felt as if he was going to faint. His vision seemed blurred and distorted, as if color had somehow left the world.

“Stop.” Arthur said. His voice was a low monotone and calming. “You’ve been fed, but it’s not time yet. He’s to weak. Leave him be.” Alfred felt a kiss press to his forehead, “I will not lose you. Either of you.”


	7. Chapter Seven

_Alfred jerked awake as something wet splattered on his cheek. Looking up he saw the sun shinning through a canopy of autumn colored leaves. A droplet of water slicked down one of the leaves to fall and hit him directly in the forehead. He got to his feet and looked around the dense forest. It was nearly sundown from what he could tell and the trees were casting everything in mysterious shadows. It was beautiful... and strangely nostalgic. He gulped as the hairs on the back of his neck began to stand on end._

_How had he arrived here? He looked down at his body. He was still dressed in the clothes that he had worn the previous night. Night? He raised his fingers to his lips. The last thing he remembered was Arthur pressing against him and jerking him off. He pulled his hand away from his face to stare at his palm. Arthur’s cock had felt so warm and so perfect- what the hell! He shook his head. What was he thinking!? There were more important things at hand._

_So, how had he gotten here? Had he passed out? Had the Brit, after jerking him off, taken him to this forest? But if that were true then just how long had he been out? The closest forest was at least a six hour drive. Or had the whole thing with the Brit been some kind of dream? Arthur’s ears, tail, and teeth could not have been real, so it had to have been a dream. But that orgasm hadn’t felt like a dream. Hell, his legs were still shaking._

_The quiet forest was then disrupted by the sound of rustling leaves. He turned just in time to see a flash of silver fur race by, bounding across the ground with such grace a speed. A minute after a small child dashed around a tree, pursuing the creature with wide eyed excitement._

_Alfred’s heart blazed with sudden heat, pumping raw fire into his veins and setting his body aflame. His eyes widened and his breath hitched as he watched himself as a young boy run past him and up the steep hill. Without thinking Alfred ran after him, all the while his mind was screaming that what he was seeing couldn’t be real. He easily caught up with his boyhood self but when he reached out a hand to stop him his fingers slid though the kid’s torso as if he were a ghost. Despite his increasing turmoil he continued to follow himself. With every step his mind slowly began to remember and fill in the gaps of his memory._

_It had been on one particularly nippy autumn late afternoon when he had gone exploring in the woods just outside his parents cabin. The trees had been a bright red and gold with the turn of the season, and the air had carried the scent of wood, smoke, and the apple pie his mother had just baked. He had been searching for salamanders when a silver fox had crossed his path. “Wow! How incredibly cool!” he had thought. He had never seen a solid silver fox before. He had turned off the path to follow it. Running hunched over among the last of the summer’s growth, he couldn’t see more then a few feet ahead of him. The fox had moved so fast that it had been rather a challenge to keep up with it. He had just made it through some rather nasty bushes when the ground had given out from under his feet and he had gone tumbling down the hill. He had rolled over and over until out of the corner of his eyes he had seen he was heading for a cliff. Frantically he had reached out and grabbed for anything, managing to catch onto a thick root of a tree._

_Looking over his shoulder he saw he was only a few feet away from the cliff edge. Sighing in relief he then tried to get to his feet, but the mud beneath the leaves had been too slippery to withstand any weight. A rather high pitched bark had caused him to look up. At the top of the hill stood the fox staring down at him, its ears folded back. It looked as if it were looking for a way down to get to him. It lifted one silver paw. “Don’t!” Alfred yelled, starling the small creature. “If you come down here you’re going to get stuck too.” He creature whined and then barked once more before it turned and ran away._

_Thankful that at least the fox would be safe Alfred then turned his attention back to his own problem. If it was too mucky to walk back up the hill then how was he supposed to save himself? Crap, he had certainly gotten himself into quite the mess. Hadn’t his mother always said to stay on the path? If he survived this Matthew would tease him for weeks. He heard a soft cracking and then a voice call out “Boy! Let go!” Alfred looked around but saw no one and it seemed as if the voice were coming from behind him._

_“Are you crazy!”_

_“No. Now let go. Everything is going to be alright.”_

_Alfred opened his mouth to yell for the person to drop dead when the branch snapped and he was once again sliding down the hill. He felt his body become weightless as he went over the cliff. A cry escaped him just before his body was embraced in warmth and the feeling of falling completely vanished. Alfred blinked and looked up into a man’s relieved green eyes. He looked young, Alfred guessed maybe late twenties, and was wearing a long sleeve sweater and jeans. The man slowly lowered him to his feet and then looked over Alfred from head to toe, as if examining for any major injuries._

_“Are you hurt?” The man’s voice was thick with a British accent and Alfred had some trouble figuring out what he was saying._

_Alfred shook his head “Nope. I’m fine.”_

_The man nodded “Good. Now what is a boy like you doing out in the woods this late? You might have run into a bear.”_

_Alfred pouted. He hated when adults acted as if the worst thing would always happen and assumed kids didn’t know any better. “The only bears around here are black bears and they usually don’t like humans and would prefer to leave them alone. If I did come upon a bear I could easily scare it away.”_

_“And where did you learn that?”_

_“Animal Planet.” Alfred put his hands on his hips “And I was in the forest because I saw a silver fox.”_

_The Englishman raised a rather thick brow and smirked “Oh really?”_

_“Yeah! It was so cool! I didn’t even know foxes came in silver. I watched a documentary on them and it said they only came in white, black, brown, and red.”_

_The Englishmen chuckled “Indeed they do. Now, I think you should really be getting home.” Just then the sun peeked through the trees in such a certain way that it cast the warm rays over the Brit’s face. His green eyes took on an almost haunting glow as his short blonde hair swayed in the wind. Alfred stared at him for a moment in a slight daze. “Is something wrong?”_

_Alfred shook his head “No.” he then turned to walk away and then stopped, looking around. “Um...” he looked up at the trees, not recognizing any of them._

_“You don’t know your way back. Do you?” His voice was full of amusement._

_Alfred frowned as he blushed. He turned back toward the man and mumbled a “Yes.”_

_The Englishman laughed “Do you know where approximately it is?”_

_“I know it’s near the highway and... oh, there is a river just down the hill from it.”_

_“Dose this river have blackberry bushes all along one side?”_

_“Yup.” Alfred nodded._

_The stranger nodded as he began walking. He held out his hand “Take my hand and I’ll take you to that river. You can get home from there can’t you?” Alfred grinned, putting his smaller hand in the man’s large palm._

_“You’re not from around here are you?” Alfred asked, making conversation._

_“True, I am just here visiting.”_

_“Where are you from?”_

_“The United Kingdome of Great Britain and Northern Ireland.” At Alfred’s confused look he sighed and said “England.”_

_“Engwand?”_

_The man turned to look down at Alfred. His cheeks was completely pink. He looked as if he were about to say something but instead shook his head and smiled happily “Yes. Do you know anything about England?”_

_“In history class I was told the Americans had a tea party with the English.”_

_“... what?”_

_“Yeah, it was some tea party in Boston.”_

_The Englishman groaned “Bloody hell.”_

_Alfred laughed “Hey, who are you visiting?”_

_“Visiting? Oh yes, I’m just passing through on my way to the city. I’m seeing an old professor friend of mine.”_

_Alfred frowned “Passing though? Are you walking all the way to see him?”_

_He laughed “No. I stopped the car and was just taking a walk through the woods.”_

_“Is that so?” Alfred shrugged “Well, I’m Al, short for Alfred.”_

_The man smiled “It is very nice to meet you, Alfred.” The man’s hand tightened around Alfred’s with surprising strength. The man helped Alfred over a fallen tree and then they started up the hill. “Do you go to school around here Alfred?”_

_“No, my family is just staying here for the weekend at our cabin.” Something caught his eye. He looked behind them to the far side of the forest. Something long and black was sticking out of the bushes and hanging over the edge. Alfred squinted and the glare from the sun’s rays showed it to be the barrel of a rifle. Alfred turned to look at the Englishman but he didn’t seem to notice it. Alfred looked back and to his alarm it seemed the gun was pointed right at the man. “No!” Alfred jumped and wrapped his arms around the man’s neck as they fell backward. “Get down!”_

_Something exploded and sent the forest into an uproar of sound; flapping wings, rustling leaves, and screeching birds. Shooting pain ripped through his back. He felt them crash to the floor and then it seemed his body could no longer hold onto the Englishman so he rolled away. He tried to move but his nerves wouldn’t let him. Blinding pain was all he could feel as he closed his eyes and gasped for breath. Darkness crept into his vision..._

_Someone was shouting his name “Alfred!? Alfred wake up!”_

_With a groan Alfred opened his eyes to find the stranger looking down at him with tears in his eyes leaning over him. Alfred frowned “What happened?”_

_The man rubbed the back of his hand across his cheek “There was a hunter. He was going to shoot me... but you protected me.” His voice cracked “I-I’m so sorry.”_

_Alfred blinked. The man looked so distraught. Alfred couldn’t really understand why, but the man at that moment reminded him of his baby brother. He always seemed to be crying. Despite the pain Alfred managed to lift his hand to wipe away the tears from his right cheek “Hey, it’s ok.” He wanted to say more but it seemed he didn’t have enough air. He gasped and his hand fell to the ground “It... hurts.” he managed to say._

_Alfred felt his body being lifted and when he opened his eyes again he found himself in the Englishman’s lap, cradled against his chest. “Shhh, you don’t need to speak.”_

_Alfred looked down and saw the scarlet blood covering his shirt and hands. He wasn’t stupid. “I’m dying.” He had seen it happen so many times on those nature programs he loved. He just never imagined he would be seeing his own death as well. Alfred sucked in a tiny breath. He turned to look back at the Englishman._

_“Alfred, I need you to listen to me.” The man’s face was very serious “Do you want to live?”_

_“What?” he winced. Damn, talking hurt. It was so hard to breath. He managed to take a few shallow breaths and then gasp at the pain and cough. “Yes. Yes I want to live.” His eyes watered and tears slid down his cheeks._

_“I can save you, but it will cost you.” It felt like there was water in his lungs. He coughed again, and it only made everything feel worse. “Alfred you’re running out of time! Are you listening?”_

_“Cost.” he whispered. “What cost?”_

_“Your soul... and your heart. I want your heart and soul. Will you give them to me?”_

_Alfred blinked and nodded his head “Sure. It’s not like I’m using them.” He tried to smile, but it was really hard with this dying thing hanging over his head._

_“Then I need you to kiss me.”_

_What? Alfred tilted his head to one side “You’re kidding, right?”_

_The man whipped his thumb over Alfred’s damp cheek. “No.”_

_Alfred frowned “You’re not supposed-” he wheezed for air “to kiss someone you don’t love.”_

_“Then I’ll love you.”_

_He tried to laugh in spite of the pain in his chest and the tears dripping down his chin. “You promise?” His brain was so foggy. All he could feel was the warm wetness on his chest. He closed his eyes._

_“Yes. I promise.”_

_Alfred watched as Arthur leaned down and pressed his lips to his younger self in a sweet and yet sorrowful kiss. Then the forest around him shattered like glass._


	8. Chapter Eight

_Alfred rolled over on his other side and groaned as the sunlight hit his eyes. Holding up a hand he blinked his eyes open. The memory of the dream came to the forefront of his mind. Or was it a memory of a dream of a memory? Regardless, he leaned up and found himself back in his apartment. He was in his bed, naked, and alone. He looked around but didn’t see any sign of Arthur. Overcome with emotion he hung his head in his hands. What the hell was going on? He had seen Arthur in his... memory. Where was Arthur?_

_As if answering his unspoken question he heard the front door open and then click shut. Alfred look toward his bedroom door and was about to get up from the bed when Arthur walked in, carrying two ‘to go’ coffee mugs from Starbucks. The man’s smile was not only charming but completely disarming. Alfred gulped as Arthur, in his human form, walked up to him and held out the mug. “Here. I got one for you to. Raspberry white chocolate mocha, if I remember correctly?”_

_Alfred eyed the mug suspiciously “How do you know that?”_

_“You ordered it when we first met at the school and got a coffee together.”_

_Alfred blushed, a little embarrassed. He tried to gather more of the blanket around his hips. He accepted the cup “Um... thank you.” Arthur sat down on the bed next to him, causing Alfred to blush even more. There was an awkward moment of silence before Alfred asked “I... was just wondering... how old you are?”_

_“... That seems like a rather odd inquiry. Why?”_

_“Well you don’t look much older from when I remember you as a kid.”_

_Arthur’s eyes widened and a smile spread across his face “You remember me.”_

_Alfred coughed and averted his gaze “You were the man in the woods.” He scratched the back of his neck. Why did his whole body tingle?_

_“And the fox.” Arthur added. He looked away and down at his coffee mug. His smile vanished. “If you hadn’t followed me... you wouldn’t have been hurt.” Alfred pursed his lips, not exactly sure what to say. “You saved me from that hunter and you didn’t even know me.”_

_“Well... I wasn’t about to let someone get hurt.” Alfred blurted out, making Arthur look at him once more. They stared into each others eyes and Alfred felt as if his very existence belonged to the man in front of him. He gulped and added more jokingly “I’m the hero, remember.”_

_Arthur blinked and then broke down in laughter “Yes.” He shook his head “Yes I guess you are.” His lips curved back into a dreamy smile “Even when you were young you impressed me with your courage and bravery. You took a bullet meant for me. I couldn’t let you die.” He reached out a hand and brushed his fingertips down Alfred’s cheek._

_Alfred stilled. His heart beat frantically in his chest. The Brit’s touch felt so good and comforting. “Did you save me? I mean... there is no mark or scar from the gunshot just...” his hand went to his neck._

_“Yes, I did.” Arthur answered “I remade you.” His fingers slid down to Alfred throat, delivering shivers down his spine. “The only mark you will ever bare is mine.”_

_The bite. Alfred still didn’t remember getting it. He only remembered the soft and gentile kiss. He hoped that- “Tell me... you didn’t... do anything besides kiss me when I was younger... right?”_

_Arthur frowned as if not understanding and then a second later he glared at Alfred “I have half a mind to poor that hot mocha right into your lap and then storm my way out of here.”_

_Alfred held up his hand defensively “Hey, I was only-”_

_“How could you even think that!?” Arthur growled “No. I kissed you and then I bit you. That was all.”_

_Alfred smiled sourly “You mean, like a werewolf? You bit me and now I am one of you?”_

_Arthur rolled his eyes and sighed “No, not like that exactly. I bit you in order to have access to your blood, your life force, and thus your soul.”_

_“But I am one of you?”_

_Arthur nodded sadly “You are not human Alfred and that is why it is dangerous for you to pretend to live as one. You do not belong among them.”_

_Alfred jerked back “Don’t belong?” That didn’t seem to make much sense. Kiku was some kind of fox thing too wasn’t he, and he lived in the ‘human world’ “Why the hell not?”_

_“The human world is made up of very delicate system of checks and balances, much like that of a scale. What we are, being pure magic, disturbs that balance if we can not control ourselves.”_

_“Disturbs? In what way?”_

_“Depends on the magnitude of energy. We can create minor malfunctions in machines to causing extream illness and death. The human world is incredibly delicate. The world itself can handle us just fine it is just humans and their society that cannot tolerate our power. So, thus, we must learn to control and subdue our power.”_

_“So if I can not stay here, where am I supposed to go?” Alfred frown deepened “I have a life here...”_

_Arthur smiled “You’ll be with me. I will take care of you.”_

_Alfred paused and then glared “I can take care of myself. I’m not some damn pet!”_

_Arthur’s gaze narrowed and he grabbed Alfred’s wrist “Oh, like the way you have been up until now? By starving yourself!?” His eyes flashed dangerously “I made you and I’m responsible for you and thus any damage your cause.”_

_Alfred jerked his arm and twisted his wrist away “What are you, my mother?”_

_Arthur’s eyes narrowed. In a flash and a sizzle of energy his fox features returned, his silver ears flattened against his head in agitation. “What I am is your sire, and you are my consort. You belong with me.”_

_“Your consort? I heard you say that before, in front of Kiku and... what was his name... Yao! Yeah. You said it that time too.” Alfred bared his teeth “Are you telling me that my purpose in life is to be... what, your own personal sex slave.”_

_Arthur growled “That is not what a consort is.”_

_“Is it?” Alfred challenged. “From what I saw between Yao and Kiku that is what it certainly looked like!”_

_Arthur’s face turned a dark red “W-What?!”_

_Alfred kicked away and rose out of the bed, taking the blanket with him “No thanks. I have no wish to ever belong to anyone.” He walked toward his dresser drawer. “Go find someone else to be your consort.”_

_In a flash of silver and the feeling of flying backward, Alfred found himself back on the bed with Arthur straddling his hips and glaring down at him. “I already have one, and I’m keeping him weather he consents to it or not.”_

_Alfred raged and struggled, wit little success “Get off me you tea drinking bastard!”_

_“What you refuse to get, you stupid American, is that you need me!” Alfred leaned down and captured Alfred’s mouth in a fierce kiss. The taste of him, as fierce and as potent as whisky or vodka, spread straight down his throat and sent shivers down his spinal column. Against his will Alfred found himself closing his eyes and kissing back just as aggressively as Arthur was. His hands went to the man’s shoulders, digging in his fingers. The urge and need to mark him was overpowering. The spice of the kiss burned his tongue and sent his blood rushing to his groin, making him feel dizzy. Every thought was erased from his head, except for the desire to fuck like mad._

_Arthur broke the kiss and brought him into a tight embrace, catching Alfred completely off guard “Bloody hell, Alfred,” he whispered “stop fighting me. I don’t want it to be like this.”_

_Alfred closed his eyes, dropping his head to Arthur’s shoulder. He took several breaths, trying to get a grip of his franticly beating heart and raging libido. “Damn it, why are you doing this to me?”_

_Arthur arms tightened around him “I...” he growled “I thought that was obvious!”_

_Alfred pushed away “Because I belong to you right?”_

_“No!” Arthur practically screamed “Because I... I...-” he shook his head “You’re the only person that matters to me. Why do you think I couldn’t let you die? Why do you think that all these years I kept searching for you?” Arthur leaned forward “You love me, and for that reason if nothing else you should stay with me.”_

_Alfred’s eyes went wide “What? I-I’ve never loved anyone!” He gulped “I don’t even think I know what love is... in the romantic sense anyway.” It did not help his case that at that moment Alfred caught a whiff of Arthur’s wonderful scent, causing his body to tremble with need._

_“You love me. You just need to realize it.” He pressed another kiss, this one gentile and loving, to Alfred’s forehead. When he leaned back he moved his hips, rubbing against Alfred’s obvious erection. “You’re excited.”_

_“It’s just because of the friction.” Alfred protested unconvincingly._

_“Do you want to cum?”_

_He wanted so badly to prove Arthur wrong, to show him that he didn’t own him. But the desire he was feeling was mind numbing. His body longed to be touched and stroked even though his mind screamed for it to control itself. He momentarily wondered if this what animals felt like when they were in heat. Nothing could overpower the insatiable need to procreate. “Yes.” He admitted sourly._

_Arthur smiled “Is it so horrible to admit you want me?”_

_Alfred’s anger got the better of him “Drop dead.”_

_Arthur raised a brow “I think it’s time you learned some manners. Insults and being stubborn will get you nothing.” Arthur raised himself up so that his bottom was no longer pressed flush against Alfred’s sex. “If you want to cum, there is only one way it is going to happen. And you are going to have to ask for it.”_

_Alfred’s mouth dropped open right before he scoffed and rolled his eyes. “As if! I’ve got hands.” he shrugged “I can just take care of it myself.” He looked up at Arthur in smug defiance._

_Arthur return knowing smiled caused Alfred to falter a bit “Really now? I’m afraid handling it yourself is not an option available to you. At least, not with my cock-ring it isn’t.” Alfred blinked and pushing Arthur to one side he sat up, removed the thin sheet, and looked down at his erection. He didn’t see anything apart from the usual. Was Arthur jest messing with his head, and not in the good way? “It’s a spell, Alfred.” Arthur said to gain his attention “Designed specifically to keep you from reaching any form of orgasm without my consent.”_

_Alfred smirked “You really expect me to believe in magic.” It had sounded better in his head. The moment he said it his eyes focused in of Arthur’s swaying silver tail. He gulped. Ok, maybe he believed a little bit. “How long does this spell last?”_

_“As long as is needed.” He smiled “I call it the ‘Taming of the Kitsune’ spell.” His ears twitched atop his head “I have waited this long to find you Alfred, and I can wait a bit longer to have your heart.” He smiled “And to have you in my bed.”_

_Alfred glared at him “That is not going to happen.” He was not about to submit himself to anything, even if his body did want it. The bed he might even agree to despite his usual preference to be the more dominant partner, but his heart... that was a lot to demand from someone. He got off the bed once more. “Why are you doing this to me?”_

_“The only one doing anything and making this worse is you!” Arthur rose from the bed as well, both hands on his hips “It’s time you stopped running away from what you are and what you really want.” He turned away and headed for the bedroom door._

_Alfred paused “Where are you going?”_

_Arthur stopped at the door and turned to look at him. His eyes, for the first time, held an unreadable expression “I’ve chased you long enough, Alfred. Chasing you more is not going to get me what I want. Now, it is about time you came to me.”_

_Alfred’s brows furrowed “What you want?” Arthur walked out and shut the door behind him. Alfred’s body almost immediately felt as if it was in turmoil. Cursing and kicking the blanket away he ran to the door and opened it. He dashed to the front door but found no on there. He had never heard it open or close. Arthur hadn’t left... he was just gone._


	9. Chapter Nine

_The soft lips caressing down his spine felt like heaven. Alfred moaned as he felt warm palms and fingertips brush over the skin of his lower back and buttocks. A voice whispered in his ear, barely more then a haunting whisper, “Come to me.”_

Alfred jerked awake, rolled to his side, and unfortunately off the bed. The back of his head hit the floor with a loud crack. “Shit!” he yelled, grabbing the back of his head as he hissed in pain. He was flat on his back in the darkness with... some kind of weight attached to his leg. Leaning up into a sitting position he removed the blanket to find the kitten Arthur had given him clinging to his pajama pants for dear life. The kitten turned to look at him and meowed. Offering the feline an apologetic smile he untangled the claws from the fabric and then cradled the creature to his bare chest. “Sorry little one. Hope I didn’t squish you?” As if to answer him the kitten began vibrating with the force of the purr he emitted. He got to his feet and returned to the bed, flopping backward to then stare at the dark ceiling. 

It had been about four days since Arthur had just up and disappeared. Alfred glared at the shadows. He had completely expected the man to return the day after their little disagreement. When he hadn’t, Alfred had stubbornly written off the man and had continued on with his job as if nothing was wrong. After the third day he had become a little more concerned. Now he was at the point where he was not only pissed about what Arthur just expected him to do but also angered at the fact that the man was just completely gone. Honestly how were they supposed to make up if the damn limey wasn’t around! Alfred blushed and rolled onto his side. Did he want to make up?

The kitten mewed again and padded along his side until it reached his face where it licked his cheek “I don’t know what’s wrong with me.” Alfred said to the cat with an aggravated sigh. “Honestly he just waltzes in and completely destroys everything I think I know, tells me that I haven’t been helping people but using them, and then says that I can’t stay in my home and I have to come with him to be his... sex object!” Alfred huffed and remained quiet for a few moments. The kitten mewed again. He glanced it’s way and shrugged “It’s not that I mind a magical world. Hell I think it’s pretty awesome knowing now that the world is a whole lot more complicated and mysterious then we think it is.” He smiled and couldn’t help but laugh “Imagine. Science and magic coming together to explain the phenomena of the universe.” He shook his head and then frowned.

“I just don’t understand why I have to leave my life. If lack of control over magic is a problem then why don’t I just learn to control it? I mean, Kiku lives here doesn’t he? Then again... maybe Kiku can because Yao lets him.” That thought just pissed Alfred off more. No one had the right to tell someone what they could and could not do. He paused, thinking back to the day he’d had a drink with Kiku. Hadn’t Arthur introduced Yao as Kiku’s consort? So... if consorts were the partners of Kitsune... did that mean Yao was once human? Now that was a thought that he couldn’t even wrap his head around. Alfred raised his hand high in the air and turned it from side to side, examining it. It didn’t look to him like he was anything but human. Yet somehow he knew Arthur was telling the truth, he wasn’t human. 

“If I’m not human then what the hell am I?” He whispered. He shivered, suddenly noticing how cold it was in the room. Getting out of the bed he moved to the window and raised the pleated Levolor blind. 

Snow, everywhere. Thick clusters fell from the dark as ocean depths sky and gently floated to the ground as if dancing to some hidden cryptic melody. The ground was covered in a thick, white, unblemished, blanket of pure beauty. The branches on the trees were defined by at least an inch. Alfred blinked in amazement. Was winter coming early this year? There was no way he would be able to drive to work in this if it kept up. But on another note, it was more then likely that school was going to be postponed or called off entirely because of this snow anyway. Though it was still odd, he didn’t remember any mention of snow in the weather reports and his students would have chattered about it if there had been. He briefly contemplated on what he should do tomorrow if it was a snow day. Maybe... he could try calling Arthur. That idea was almost instantly stomped to the ground. No, he was not going to go back to him after only a few days. He would look completely pathetic and he just knew Arthur would be smiling that smug smile of his. However, it might not hurt to find out a little bit more about what was going on with himself. He pursed his lips. Kiku was a kitsune too, right? He had seen the black ears and tail. He nodded. Yes, that sounded like a good idea. He could call up Kiku and maybe he could answer some of his questions. The man was after all a good friend. 

Alfred pulled down the blind and went to the wall next to his bedroom door. With one finger he flicked down the thermostat and programmed it to on. He heard the loud whoosh of air and turned back to set the kitten on the bed. “It should be warm in an hour or so. In the meantime I’m going to take a hot shower.”

.:.:.:.:.:.:.:.:.:.:.:.

“What the fucking hell!” Standing in the shower and leaning against the glass door Alfred groaned and glared down at his stubborn erection. Perhaps a hot shower had NOT been the best idea. The moment the warm pellets of water had hit his skin his body seemed to take control of him. At first it had not been a big deal, but after twenty minutes of jerking and playing with himself without even so much as getting close to the glorious edge of release he was just about out of his mind! If he continued like this soon he’d be out of warm water and would have to settle for freezing cold. He thumbed the head of his cock in slow teasing strokes. Everything he did felt great, but none of it increasing his pleasure to that level which would reach orgasm. 

It was not like him, but ultimately he gave up. Scowling, he shut off the water, opened the sliding door, and then snatched the towel from the rack. “Stupid cock ring.” Alfred grumbled. It seemed wired to be complaining about something he couldn’t even see. Though he knew now that just because one couldn’t see something didn’t mean it didn’t exist. 

Officially angered as much as he had ever been in his life, Alfred dried himself off, dressed himself in jeans, a red T-shirt, and his favorite brown leather jacket, and headed out the door. He did not bother to grab his keys because he had no wish to tame this winter wonderland of black ice and slush with his bike. So, he walked. As he exited his apartment he looked up at the sky and saw the morning rays just beginning to scatter a pinkish glow across the black velvet sky. He wondered where he should go. This early in the morning there would not be that many places open... except one. With a broad smile he started walking down the sidewalk. There was only one place he could think of that no matter what always put him in a good mood. Thank heaven for twenty-four hour McDonalds. 

.:.:.:.:.:.:.:.:.:.:.:.

Alfred walked back to his apartment at a much more relaxed and leisurely pace. His erection had not dwindled in the slightest, despite the cold, but at least his stomach was full. Six double cheeseburgers, a large fry, two apple pies, a milkshake, and countless refills of soda always hit the spot. Unfortunately all of his blood was now being drawn to his stomach and thus causing his outer extremities to feel a bit chilled. By the time he got back to his apartment he was nearly chilled to the bone. Alfred stripped the moment he closed the front door and tossed his slush soaked jeans back into the wash. He then took off his jacket and patted it down with a dry cloth. The soft leather could withstand the water and cold but would blotch and discolor if the water droplets remained for several hours. Shaking his damp hair he then pulled on a thick sweater and some sweat pants. 

He went to his kitchen and clicked the on button of his coffee maker. “Coffee.” Alfred groaned sleepily “Glorious coffee.” He leaned against the tiled counter and watched as every auburn colored drip descended into the pot. He was so tired that it was almost just sheer effort to stand at the counter. Turning away he walked to his couch and laid down with a heavy sigh. He closed his eyes and tried to just think of anything besides his current dilemma.

.:.:.:.:.:.:.:.:.:.:.:.

_Warmth, comfort, heat and softness stroked down his chest. It felt so nice. Alfred sighed. It felt like a hand... was this a dream?_

_“If that is what you wish.” Arthur’s voice whispered in his ear. Alfred opened his eyes to look up into the man’s seductive face. His silver ears were turned forward, indicating his more pleasant mood. Breath brushed against Alfred’s ear and a wet tongue swept across the pulse in his neck. Alfred groaned._

_“How am I supposed to get a bit of sleep when I keep dreaming about you?” he said in a rather irritated tone._

_“But, Alfred, you are asleep.” Huh? He looked down at himself. He was naked and laying face up on what seemed and felt like soft satin sheets with Arthur laying to his right with one leg draped over his hips. Arthur’s gaze was full of amusement and lust as his long silver tail swayed behind him. “Hello, love.”_

_Looking above him Alfred could see the two of them were in some kind of round, canopied bed draped in dark crimson silk and piled high with pillows. The bed was considerably hard to focus on, and everything beyond the bed was completely hazy. It looked as if there were floating candles outside the curtain but he wasn’t sure. The only clear thing was the British fox pressed against his side. Alfred blinked. Had he really imagined this all up? Usually his erotic fantasies took place in Hawaii, but he supposed a turn of the century looking bed with romantic ambiance was not a bad change. It especially wasn’t bad when you had a sexy man gazing at you as if you were the only man on earth._

_“Wow... some dream.”_

_Arthur grinned, showing the tips of his fangs. “You know, sometimes you do say the sweetest things.”_

_Alfred could not help but stare at his face. Despite the man’s rather thick eyebrows he was still remarkably attractive. If Alfred didn’t know him and had just passed him on the street he would have labeled Arthur in the category of cute. And Alfred had to admit; the fox features did not detract or lessen that attractive standing. Tilting his head to one side Alfred stared fixedly at one of the fox ears. He wondered... he reached up a hand and caught one ear between his thumb and forefinger before he began rubbing. Arthur’s gasp was almost instantaneous. His eyes closed as he shivered, a pink blush coming to his cheeks._

_“Don’t- stop...” the rest of his words were lost as he pushed back into Alfred’s touch._

_Arthur suddenly reminded Alfred of a cat. So it appeared the ears were an erogenous zone to foxes. Good to know. That face Arthur was making was seriously sexy. Alfred’s gaze focused on his lips. He licked his own before leaning forward and capturing Arthur’s. Arthur gasped and Alfred took full advantage of the situation, his tongue pushing into Arthur’s mouth and brushing against his in clear invitation. Arthur groaned loudly. He allowed Alfred to move them so that he was lying on his back with Alfred resting on top of him. Not once did they ever break the heated kiss. The leisurely and possessive strokes of their tongues wiped all thought from their minds._

_When they moved apart for air Arthur was panting. His eyes were half open and his face was flushed. “No resistance?”_

_Alfred shrugged as he smirked “It’s just a dream, right?”_

_Arthur blinked and his face fell somewhat “Oh, I see.” He looked away and then smirked “Then you do want me, but only in your dreams?”_

_With one finger Alfred turned Arthur’s face back to look at him “I never said that, did I?” the question was rhetorical._

_Arthur expression was hopeful “Then you do want me?”_

_“Wanting you was never the issue. It’s the other stuff I’m having difficulty with.”_

_Arthur was quiet for a moment before he nodded “I... can understand that.” He sighed “You are aware that everything I do... is because I care about you?”_

_Alfred paused “How can you care about me when you don’t even know me?”_

_“I know enough, but it is my understanding that a heart doesn’t really need reasons now does it?”_

_It was such a strange and new feeling. To look down at someone else and realize they had complete control over you and all because they cared about you and you about them. To be wanted so openly and realize you wanted them in return. Alfred wanted with strange, alluring, all be it sometimes infuriating guy. No one else, regardless of gender, made his blood race, his heart pound, excite his body, and not to mention stir up his temper quite like the man beneath him. When he was with Arthur he felt... awake and alive._

_He eased between Arthur’s thighs, causing the man to gasp “Alfred?!” Alfred captured his protests with another kiss. He lay on top of him, stomach against stomach, his cock a hot, rigid length alongside Arthur’s. Heat flushed down their bodies in a mind-numbing, erotic wave. Alfred’s brain refused to concentrate on anything but Arthur’s warm, muscular body below his. God he felt so good!_

_Arthur spread his knees and pushed up. Curling his toes he rubbed their exposed and stiff erections together. Arthur moaned into the kiss as his ears folded backward against his head. His tail came around to sway and caress Alfred’s back. Arthur broke the kiss and, reaching between them, grabbed both their cocks, stroking. “Do you want to cum?”_

_Alfred growled “Only if it’s in you.”_

_Arthur’s eyes went wide “What?”_

_“I said I’ll only cum if I get to cum inside you.” Alfred clarified with a smirk._

_Arthur’s face went completely red a second before he shook his head “You must be mistaken. I am the dominant one.”_

_Alfred raised a brow “I am not going to submit to you every damn time.” He reached out a hand and thumbed one of Arthur’s nipples “Besides,” he said when Arthur gasped “I think you like being dominated.”_

_Arthur shook his head as if trying to deny what was obviously true “No I bloody don’t!”_

_Alfred’s gaze hardened “Arthur... I’ve never known a dream to fight back before.” He challenged. With that he pushed up with his hands and moved away._

Alfred’s eyes burst open and he stared helplessly up at the ceiling for a few moments before he swallowed and leaned up into a sitting position. Apparently the loss of contact to Arthur’s skin also meant the loss of whatever connection they had just had. Had it been a dream? Alfred didn’t know.


	10. Chapter Ten

Alfred watched some children as they had a rather playful snowball fight in the park. Their cute florescent colored boots kicked up tuffs of snow and it seemed as though they were playing in a sea of white. Alfred smiled to himself and drew the scarf around his neck tighter. Man it was cold!

“You wanted to see me Alfred-san?”

Alfred jerked and looked behind him to see a smiling Kiku. He was covered from head to toe and dressed in his usual traditional winter Japanese clothing. He walked around the bench and sat down. Alfred didn’t know why but seeing his friend like this, after what he saw, made him feel a little awkward. “Hey Kiku.” He smiled. “Um, nice snowstorm we are having.”

“Actually I am quite concerned as to this rather peculiar weather.” Kiku answered. “Though I do not think you asked me out here to talk about the snow.”

Alfred blushed “Well... no.” he sighed “The thing is... look I know you, Arthur, and Yao are kitsune. And I apparently am one too, at least I think. So I was hoping I could maybe ask you a few questions. You’know, about kitsune.”

Kiku was quiet for a moment, which Alfred hated because he could never tell what the Japanese man was thinking. When he did speak he looked away from Alfred and up at the falling snow “Would it not be better to ask Arthur-san?”

“No.” Alfred frowned.

Kiku was quiet a moment longer before he nodded “I will do my best to explain things. Though if I may say, Alfred-san, you do not have much time.”

Alfred frowned “What do you mean?”

“I think it would be best if I showed you.” Kiku leaned down and scooped up a handful of snow. After doing a quick glance to see that no one was close enough to see what they were going he held his cupped hand in front of them both so they could see it. The snow quickly melted into a pool of water that stayed contained within Kiku’s palm. Alfred stared at the water in confusion and then awe as a picture, almost like a movie, began to play on the water’s surface.

He saw Arthur dressed in a gray business suit standing in front of four rather old and large foxes; white, brown, red, and black. Their hair was long and matted and when they opened their mouths to yawn their gums were a dark black in color. “It is nearly the Winter Solstice Lord Kirkland!” the brown fox growled.

Arthur frowned and shot the old fox a challenging look “I am well aware of what time it is, elder.”

“Then it is about time you chose a consort!” countered the brown fox “This council has been far too lenient in allowing you to rule over the silver foxes without the bond of a mate.”

“If the great elders would remember I do have a mate.”

“Fuah! The child you claim to have saved all those many years ago?”

“It was not that long ago at all.” Arthur cut in.

“Enough.” It was the white fox that spoke, his voice a hushed slur but full of authority. “Brown fox, have you forgotten your position? Lord Kirkland is, as you can see, a silver fox and you are only a brown. However, Lord Kirkland, he is right. We have been lenient when it comes to your demands to abstain from choosing a mate. Most Kitsune have already found and chosen their mate by the time they have reached your age. Nearly all the other lords have mates.”

Arthur’s gaze narrowed “So for the sake of the norm you would force me to mate with someone other than my choosing.” His emerald eyes narrowed to dangerous slits. “Have you forgotten I am Arthur Kirkland, Lord of the silver foxes and by that standing alpha of my territory the country of Great Britain.”

The image faded away and then came back again to show Arthur in a garden planting what looked to be flowers. He was wearing faded blue jeans and a loose fitting white t-shirt. His hair was held back with a rather silly looking bandana of the British flag. 

“Um... Lord Kirkland.” Arthur turned as a man with shoulder length brown hair approached him. His fox ears and tail were a light brown. He was holding a tray with two tea cups, a teapot, a bowl of sugar cubes, and a saucer filled with cream. “It is tea time my lord.”

“Oh... has it become that late already? Thank you, Toris” Arthur rose to his feet and took off his gardening gloves as he followed the man to a small bistro set next to some pink and red rose bushes. He sat down in one of the chairs, sighing as he took one of the tea cups.

“My Lord, I must inform you that Lord Bonnefoy is here to see you.”

From Arthur’s expression Alfred would have thought the man had just drunk sour milk. However, as quickly as the look of disgust came it was gone. Arthur took a sip of tea and nodded “I see. Bring him in.”

The fox named Toris bowed and left. A moment later a man, wearing some rather flashy clothes Alfred noted, waltzed into the garden. His long blonde hair was golden and shinned in the mid day sun. The man wore his hair pulled back in a low hanging ponytail with a dark blue ribbon; much like was the fashion for a men’s hairstyle in 1776. The man’s long ears and tail were a perfectly pure white. Arthur didn’t even look up from his tea as the man sat down “Hello Francis.”

“Bonjour Arthur.” The stranger’s voice was thick and smooth with a French accent that would make anyone swoon. Alfred glared at the white fox in the water. “I trust you know why I am here?”

“Because the elders council sees fit to play matchmaker for me.” He took another sip of tea “You are without a mate and they think me to be without one as well. It is hardly difficult logic.”

“Quite true.” The French fox nodded “I have told them that I have already offered myself to you and that you refused, but that does not seem to dissuade them, mon ami.”

“Honestly.” Arthur set down the teacup and turned to look at the roses, more particularly a rather fully bloomed red rose. “I already have a mate.”

“Oh yes, the little boy you told us about many years ago.” Francis frowned “Did he not disappear?”

“He didn’t disappear I just... lost him.”

“That does not mean he is not gone. He was... human, was he not?” Francis countered. He sighed dramatically “Arthur you have been searching for this child, who is now probably a grown man, for well over a decade. Do you not think it is time to just choose one of your own and settle down, raise some kits?”

Alfred realized with a spark of understanding that what he was seeing was something that had transpired before Arthur had found him. Arthur frowned “I do wish for that. A life to share with someone. Someone that I can cherish.”

“Mon ami.” Francis said to gain his attention “I desire the same things you do. But neither one of us has found that certain... amour, shall we call it.”

“Do not tell me you are seriously giving in to those old blowhards demands?”

Francis shook his head “I am tired of waiting, mon ami.” He shrugged “And though I do not see you are more then a childhood friend, even I admit I could do worse then you.” He frowned “Though I do not think there is anyone on this planet who could do worse for cooking.”

“Shut it frog!” Arthur growled at him. 

There was a moment of quiet and then Francis spoke “Tell me, about this boy you saved.”

A slow warm smile spread across Arthur’s face “He’s sweet and kind, although I found him a bit eccentric. I could tell just by looking at him that he would one day grow into a fine man.”

Francis looked at Arthur for a second and then smirked, taking the second teacup and adding a cube of sugar. “I certainly hope you find this boy, mon ami. For if you don’t you know what awaits you.”

Arthur scoffed “As if they would have the stones.”

The imaged shimmered away and Kiku let the water dribble from his hand. Alfred was almost struck speechless. He turned to Kiku “What was he refereeing to.”

“If a mature kitsune does not have a mate by the full moon of the Winter Solstice then they are banished.”

“... What!” Alfred yelled as he stood up from the bench. The volume of Alfred’s voice caused nearly all the people in the park to look their way. 

Kiku fumbled with his words and tried to get Alfred to calm down and sit. “Please! Alfred-san control yourself.”

“So you’re telling me if I don’t agree to be Arthur’s mate by... what... December? That he is going to be banished?!”

“Well yes, but I should say that he is one of the Five Kitsune lords so it is unlikely.”

“Unlikely doesn’t mean it’s NOT going to happen.”

“Well yes but-”

“Well this certainly lights a fire under by ass doesn’t it?” Alfred grumbled. He stared at the ground as he tried to understand the magnitude of the new situation. “Hey, Kiku?”

“Yes, Alfred-san?”

“You have a consort right? What does being a consort mean exactly?”

Kiku smiled “A consort is the name we give our mate, or more specifically it is only used to describe the mates of high ranking officials.”

“So... it’s not just some sex slave.”

Alfred had never seen Kiku become as embarrassed as he was now “W-what! N-no not at all!” he shook his head “To us Kitsune a mate is something to be treasured and valued above all else.”

“I see.” Alfred turned to face Kiku fully “Is their anything else?”

“Hm, well a mates value, like any other Kitsune’s, is directly associated with the rarity of his or her color and the limitations of his or her power. Mates with rare or higher ranking colors are more sought after then those with not.”

“What is the hierarchy of color?”

“Red is the lowest, then brown, black, white, and then silver.”

“So silver is the rarest.” Alfred confirmed “So for me to have Arthur as my mate would be considered... I guess for lack of a better term, good.”

Kiku chuckled “That depends on what your color is Alfred-san.”

Alfred shrugged. He didn’t really want to think about what kind of fox he was “Arthur tells me I can not live in the human world. Is that true, because I see you living here?”

“You are mistaken.” Kiku corrected “I do not live here. I live in Japan.”

Ok, now Alfred was really confused. “Can you repeat that?”

“I live in Japan. That is my territory. I only come here for work, which is rather more of a hobby of mine then anything else.” Alfred titled his head to one side in confusion. “Kitsune live very long lives, Alfred-san. My work here as a teacher is more or less just a pastime of mine.”

“How... how do you live in Japan?”

“Oh come now Alfred-san. Surly the majesticness of magic and all its uses are not completely unknown to your imagination?”

“You use magic?’ Kiku nodded “Then... if Japan is your territory and I heard Arthur say England was his territory does that mean that all kitsune have territories?”

“No. Only the Lords.”

“So then you must be one of the lords as well.” Kiku nodded. “Who are you the lord of?”

“I am the lord of all black foxes.”

“Then is Yao the lord of all brown foxes?”

“No, that would be Roderich-san.” At Alfred’s blank stare Kiku waved a hand “Another time perhaps.”

Alfred leaned back against the bench “Wow. This is a lot to take in.”

“I apologize that our culture is so complex.”

Alfred waved a hand “Nah. I’ll get use to it. Thanks for answering my questions though.” He sighed “So I won’t be able to live here but I can still work here. Well, that isn’t so bad. Why hadn’t he just said it that way?”

“Perhaps he did mean it the way he said. Though in my experience Arthur-san has always had trouble with words and expressing himself.”


	11. Chapter Eleven

He returned to his apartment very late. The sun had set long ago and there was no one on the roads as he trudged through the snow. The street lights had been his only company. The moment he closed the door to his apartment, however, he knew something was different. The air felt stale, humid, and his apartment seemed deathly quiet, like the quiet one would expect to hear in the dark depths of a forest at night. Alfred took off his jacket and tried to look around the dark room. He didn’t know why exactly but he didn’t want to make a move for the light switch. Something was watching him, stalking. With his limited vision he walked forward but did not see anything out of place. 

Thinking maybe this uneasy feeling was because of the cat, though he doubted it, he called out “Kitten? Kitten are you here?” 

Something grabbed the back of Alfred’s head, and pulled. “What the-” Off balance, Alfred crashed to the floor and landed on his ass hard. “Ow, shit!” He opened his eyes and quickly started scanning the darkness. Something relatively small in size moved among the shadows by the windows. It looked gangly and awkward, like a human walking on all fours. Alfred glared as he watched it move up the wall and over the window with a whoosh sound. Alfred’s temper sparked. He had had just about enough of kitsunes and anything else magical! “That’s it! Whoever you are show yourself!” The shadow stopped, shifted, and then straightened to stand on two legs. Alfred rose to his feet “Who are you?”

The creature leaped, soaring over Alfred’s head and around the corner. Alfred growled and chased after it, following it into the kitchen. The thing was sitting on the counter, facing away from him. Alfred reached out a hand and flicked on the light. The darkness seemed to evaporate around them like smoke to reveal a small human child curled up in a ball on the counter. Extending from his back, just above his bottom, was a small, skinny, golden fox tail. Alfred could also make out two tiny little fox ears of the same color protruding from the boys blond hair. Alfred held his breath when he saw how malnourished the boy looked. There was almost no fat on him at all and he was extremely skinny. 

What was a kitsune child doing in his apartment? He took a steadying breath and then took a step forward “Hey... are you ok?”

“No. I’m not.” The voice was young, male, and one that Alfred knew all to well. Without warning he grabbed the boy and turned him to face toward him. Alfred’s eyes went wide and his blood ran cold at the sight of his own childhood face staring back at him. He released the boy and stumbled backward toward the wall. Was this some kind of trick? An illusion?

The boy’s eyes, a bright sky blue with an inner heat the color of sapphires, watched his every move. “I am no illusion.” His younger self bit out. His right ear twitched and all the lights in the apartment flicked on. He leaped off the counter and looked toward Alfred “Follow me.”

Alfred could only obey as he followed the boy back into the living room. Upon the sight of it he covered his mouth and fell to the couch in horror. Blood smeared and dripped from the walls and covered a good portion of the carpet. He saw smeared hand prints and claw marks. Everything was drenched in blood, except for a pristine rectangle on the wall at the center of all the blood, when Alfred knew the painting of the fox had once been. The boy came to stand before him, his gaze patient and unamused.

“You’re the fox?” Alfred managed to ask.

His younger self’s eyes darkened “No, I am not the fox. I am your fox.” He smiled to show two pointed canines “I am you.”

Alfred shook his head “But you’re just a little boy!”

“That was when you imprisoned me!” The boy hissed and suddenly all the light bulbs in the apartment shattered, except for one. One lone light bulb was left standing to illuminate the darkness just above their heads. The sound alone causing Alfred to jump. 

“Imprisoned you?”

“You started rejecting me the moment you figured out I made you different from the other humans. You yelled at me, ignored me, and pretended I didn’t exist.” The boy looked as if he were about to cry “After some time I tried to force you to recognize me again, to remember what you are and needed to become.”

“You tried?” Alfred didn’t remember any of this. He certainly would have remembered a fox version of himself talking to him.

The boy shook his head “You didn’t hear me!” He put his hands to his ears and covered them. 

Alfred didn’t know what to say nor did he even understand to an extent what was going on. “Did... did Arthur send you?”

The kid stopped, his eyes going wide “Arthur? Is Arthur here?” he began to look around the living room with obviously joy.

“Um... no. Arthur isn’t here.” The kid froze and then sank down to his knees, wrapping his arms around himself and shivering. Alfred panicked “Hey, are you ok?” he reached down a hand and touched the kids shoulder.

“Don’t touch me!” the child slapped his hand away, leaving two thin cuts of scarlet on the top of Alfred’s hand. His younger self looked up at him with fearful eyes. “You don’t want me. You never wanted me.” Tears spilled down the kid’s cheeks “Even when he promised you love us you never wanted me. Stupid!” He screamed “Stupid stupid stupid! Just drop dead!” His tail was lashing back and forth in clear annoyance. 

Alfred bit his lower lip as he sank to his knees next to the boy “Alright. Ok.” He tried to say as soothing as he possibly could “I’m sorry.” He didn’t know what he was apologizing for exactly, but he knew he was in the wrong. “I’m sorry.”

“Stupid!”

“Yes, yes. I’m stupid. Now would you please calm down?”

The boy sniffed as tears continued to stream down his cheeks. The child had such an angelic appearance, despite his emaciated body, that seeing him sobbing was enough to just utterly wrench Alfred’s heart right out of his chest. With a deep sigh he gathered up the boy in his arms, despite his protests and struggles, and cradled him to his chest. He could now kind of understand how Arthur had fallen in love with him when he was younger, he was simply too adorable. Alfred smirked and then looked down at the growling boy who was trying his best to pushed against his chest and get away.

“You’re not getting away. You don’t have the strength.”

“Because of you!”

“Because of me?”

“You rejected me. You locked me away. You starved me. You wanted me dead!” he whined “I’m everything you threw away.” The boy then turned to point at the square on the wall where the painting used to be. “You sealed me into that stupid painting because you hated me! Well I hate you too! I hate you!”

Alfred had to tighten his grip as the boy began to struggle again “What are you talking about I never hated you!”

The boy stopped struggling and turned his head to glare up at Alfred “Lies. You wanted to get rid of me so badly that you made that painting to lock me away.”

“I didn’t...” Alfred shook his head, trying to grasp for the right words “I didn’t mean to lock you away. I did that on accident.” The boy did not look the least bit convinced “I didn’t know that’s what I was doing.” He tried to think back to why he had painted the fox in the first place. Something had happened. He was sure of it, but he couldn’t remember what exactly. “You said you tried to force me to recognize you again?”

The boy nodded “You could no longer hear me and had cut yourself off from the magic. So I tried to reach you by showing you what you could do.”

“What I could do?”

“I forced your powers.”

“My powers?” Alfred tried to remember but nothing came to mind.

“You won’t.”

Alfred blinked “Won’t what?”

“Remember.” The boy pointed to his head. “They’re with me. All your memories.”

“Even the ones with Arthur?”

“I gave you the ones with Arthur.” The boy explained. “You needed to remember him.”

“Why?”

Now the boy looked confused “Because we love him.” Alfred went quiet as the words seemed to sink beneath his skin and into his very core. We love him. He felt the boy press two hands against his cheeks “You do love him, don’t you?”

A second’s hesitation and then Alfred smiled, nodding “Yes.” The boy’s anger seemed to melt from his face at that one word and he sniffled as he stopped crying. Alfred wiped the tears away from his cheeks “I’m sorry that I locked you away. Weather I did it consciously or not, I’m sorry.” He thought about all the pain this boy, this fox part of himself, must have endured. The loneliness and the neglect. Alfred moved the boy away slightly, taking in his skinny and scrawny appearance. A hero was supposed to help, not cease so much agony. Guilt and disgust gripped at him. “You did not deserve this.”

The boy’s golden ears turned forward. He opened his mouth as if to say something and then looked away “I understand. Even when I was locked away, I understood. You were scared.”

“That doesn’t excuse the way I treated you.” He lifted his hands to the boys fox ears and began to rub them. He delighted in watching his younger self gasp and then begin to purr like a kitten. “Is it because I locked you away that I don’t have any... foxy attributes?” 

The boy nodded “All you are is in me.”

Alfred stopped rubbing his ears and looked down at the boy with a serious expression “Do you know what is going on with Arthur?”

“I know everything that you know.”

“So you know that we need to become his mate.”

The boy laughed “We always were.” Alfred blushed, but couldn’t help but laugh as well.

Alfred took a deep breath and ran a hand through his hair. So much stuff had happened, and it was hard to even comprehend how after everything that had happened he had arrived at this point. “I locked you in the dark because I didn’t know how to deal with you. That was a-”

“Stupid.”

He smirked. He was such a brat when he was younger “Yeah, a stupid way of dealing with it.” He averted his gaze “A hero doesn’t dismiss his fears, he deals with them head on.” He frowned “He also doesn’t steal energy from others. Some hero I turned out to be.”

“You are a hero.” His younger self said enthusiastically “You saved Arthur.”

Alfred thought about it a moment and then nodded, a genuine smile of his face “Yeah, and now I suppose I have to save him again don’t I?” The boy in his arms nodded. Alfred stroked a hand down the boys head “And I think it’s about time you and I were reunited.”

“Ok!” The boy cheered before he leaned in and pressed his lips against Alfred’s mouth. The action completely shocked the hell out of Alfred even more so when the room exploded in shimmering golden sparkles. The boy in his lap became transparent and untangible as he slowly was absorbed into Alfred’s body. Alfred cried out and clutched the couch behind him for dear life. It felt as if every bone in his body was breaking and then reforming all at once. His spine burned with a heat so intense that he swore his skin was being charred. He fell over backward and writhed in agony. His eyes opened wide as the world around him faded in and out of color. With one last silent scream he descended into darkness, illuminated by the small white dots of intricate snowflakes.


	12. Chapter Twelve

Something rough was scrapping against his cheek. Groaning Alfred slowly opened his eyes to see his pet kitten staring down at him. He yawned and rose himself upward until he was sitting. The kitten meowed. “Hey little guy.” Alfred said sleepily. He stopped in mid yawn when he heard chirping. He looked toward the window and got to his feet. Pulling up the blind he looked out in amazement. The snow was gone. All of it was completely gone. “Well that was sure a weird cold snap we had.” He said to the cat. The kitten meowed again, this time more urgently.

“Yes yes you want your food.” He turned and was about to head toward the kitchen when something golden flashed out of his peripheral vision. He stopped and looked to his side, but saw nothing. Odd? Then again with everything that had happened to him recently could he truly say anything was ‘odd’ anymore? It was then that he felt something. It was as if he was moving some part of his body but he did not know what. It felt like... it was coming from his posterior. Turning more so that he could look behind him his eyes went as wide as they could and a huge grin spread across his face. Protruding from his clothing was a long, lush, glorious, golden fox tail. He gasped and exclaimed some intangible phrase in excitement. He concentrated and with little trouble found he could move the tail wherever he chose. He swished it to the side and then cradled it in his hands, petting himself. “Oh my god!” he looked down at the cat “I have a tail! I have a real tail, and wow is it soft!” he examined it and then said with a rather cocky smirk “I think mine is even bigger then Arthur’s.” He laughed.

He went to run a hand through his hair when he encountered something soft and fuzzy. He paused and then with another loud cry of excitement he ran to the bathroom to look at himself in the mirror. Atop his head, parting through his hair, were two long, triangular in shape, sleek, golden fox ears. Alfred stared at them in amazement before he brought up his hands to start moving and playing with them. More then once he causing himself to laugh and shiver because sometime he accidentally tickled himself or causing himself pain. Leaning back he admired himself in the mirror. He smirked. He looked damn good with fox features if he did say so himself. Just for kicks, he winked at himself. 

His gaze then focused on his ears again. He wondered if they worked. Closing his eyes Alfred concentrated on just his hearing. He could hear the neighbor next door to him running water in the sink. The man that lived below him was still snoring and sound asleep. Outside he could hear cars, shop entrance bells, and even a dod panting as he played fetch. Alfred opened his eyes. “Wow.” He was amazed at his ability to hear all of that so clearly. Leaning toward the mirror he pulled back the hair on the sides of his head to find that his human ears were gone. He assumed that when in fox form his ears transformed, naturally, into that of a fox. They would more then likely turn back when he did. He paused. “Um... how exactly do I transform back?”

After several moments of trying to push the ears down, thinking ‘human’ thoughts, and trying the phrase “Change now!” he slumped against the counter in defeat. Alfred groaned as he rolled his eyes. “Oh come on!” The cat meowed again. Alfred walked out of the bathroom and to the kitchen where he then opened a can of tuna, put it in a dish, and set it on the ground. He couldn’t go to work like this. Wait, did he have to go to work? He looked at the clock on his stove which flashed the time and day. It was not a day of which he had classes to teach, so for that he considered himself lucky. Yet still he needed to change back. He couldn’t exactly go walking around outside like this.

He picked up his cell phone and dialed Kiku’s number. Kiku would most assuredly come help him, especially now that he had accepted his fox self. The phone rang and rang... and rang. Alfred frowned as the beeping continued for another minute. That was strange. Kiku usually picked up on the second or third ring. When no answer came Alfred clicked a button and then flipped his phone shut. Well, damn. If he couldn’t call Kiku then- he could call Arthur... if he knew his number. With a sense of dread Alfred realized that he knew no other way, besides maybe Kiku, of how to get in touch with Arthur.

He leaned back against the counter and crossed his arms over his chest. Well, crap. With Kiku not answering his phone he was sure in a bind. He sighed and looked longingly toward the window. How was he going to show Arthur that he had accepted who and what he was if the jerk wasn’t here? His ears folded flat against his head. If the man hadn’t been so stubborn and just taken off and had given Alfred time this wouldn’t have even happened. He leaned back his head and tried to think. 

His mind went back to the pool of water in Kiku’s hands and he remembered how Arthur had talked with that French fox. Alfred didn’t know why but that white fox had just made him uneasy. Maybe it was the fact that he was just too pretty? Or it could have been that he had just seemed too friendly with Arthur. Alfred shrugged, either way he was a fox now and had every intention of finding Arthur and showing him how foxy he had become. Alfred paused. Come to think of it... that brown fox that had served Arthur his tea. He had only seen the back of the man’s head but Alfred was almost positive his voice had sounded familiar. Thinking back to how the man had looked from behind Alfred tried to name him. Arthur had said his name but for the life of him Alfred couldn’t remember. On a whim he imagined the man in his head but subtracted the fox ears and tail. Instantly Alfred recognized him. 

.:.:.:.:.:.:.:.:.:.:.:.

Toris looked down at the paper in his hands. He wish Alfred had said more over the phone then just “Toris I need you now! Come over to my place!” The man had sounded agitated and very adamant. Toris sighed as he looked up from the paper and toward the rather expensive looking apartment buildings across the street. This appeared to be the place. Looking to make sure no cars were coming he dashed across the street and then followed the directions on the paper to Alfred’s exact apartment. He raised a hand and was about to knock on the door when the door whooshed open and he was literally dragged inside. 

Toris yelped and then lost all thought and ability to speak when Alfred kicked the door shut and then turned to face him. His mouth hung open wide as he stared in wide eyed amazement at Alfred’s golden fox features. Alfred sent him a curious look. “What? You have them too.”

Toris’ face turned a dark red as he stammered “H-How do you know that!?”

“Relax Toris I just need your help.”

The Lithuanian paused, taken back “My help?”

“Yes.” Alfred pointed to his head “First of all, how did you get these things to go away?” At Toris’ blank stare he elaborated “I mean how do I get back to looking human?”

“Oh!” Toris laughed uneasily. “That’s rather simple. You use magic.”

Alfred raised a brow at him “And.... how do I do that?”

“How?” the brunet looked confused “Well... I have never had to explain it before.” He looked thoughtful for a moment “It’s like you talk to... or communicate through feeling rather with the river of magic inside you.”

“River of magic?”

“It’s a pour way of describing it I know because the magic is within our blood, but still.” He smiled “Um, try to close your eyes.” Alfred did “Now look deep within you. You should be able to feel a sort of life.”

Life? Alfred tried to do as Toris was saying but he couldn’t really feel anything. It seemed dark and limitless, like some kind of void. He tried envisioning himself in that void but it didn’t work the way he had hope. He was there but nothing happened, no magic. He was about to tell Toris he wasn’t feeling anything when something warm touched him, inside. The envisioned version of himself turned and saw his younger self, in fox form, smiling up at him.

“You’re thinking to hard.” The boy grinned “It won’t come unless you relax.”

“Then how do I relax?”

“Think of something relaxing.” Alfred nodded and tried to envision the things that calmed him; warm sandy beaches, a warm summer day, a delicious cheeseburger from Fuddruckers. He was jolted out of his reverie when his boyhood self began to laugh. “No no. Think of something that invokes a happy emotion. Something that always makes you feel passionate whenever you think about it.” The boy motioned with his hand for Alfred to come down to his level. Kneeling down on one knee Alfred let the boy whisper in his ear “Think of a garden bursting with life and color. It’s early morning and the leaves are still wet. The sun is just peeking over the horizon.” With every word the vision became clearer and clearer in Alfred’s mind. The dark void around them melted and dripped away to become the garden he imagined. “Good. Now imagine there are fairies.”

Alfred blinked and looked at his younger self “Fairies?” The boy gave him an impatient look “Ok, fairies.” Alfred shrugged in defeat. 

“Imagine there are many different fairies tending to all the different flowers. Every rose, daisy, tulip, forget me not, strawberry, and apple blossom is touched and caressed by their magical hands.”

Alfred watched in amazed silence as the vision grew more and more detailed. Small pixies of all different colors were swishing around him as they tended to the flowers. A humming bird swooped down to swipe some nectar before flittering away. Butterflies both blue and orange in color beat their wings lazily as they took a rest on the flowers of their choice. He could even smell the crisp morning air. It was beautiful and there were not enough words to describe it. Alfred smiled softly at how perfect it all was and how at home he felt. 

“Do you wanna know a secret?” the boy whispered.

“What?” Alfred chuckled.

“This is Arthur’s garden.”

At the mention of his name Arthur appeared in the vision, dressed in a long sleeve shirt, vest and tie, and smooth black dress pants. He was facing the roses and in his hands were a saucer and a cup of tea which he sipped casually.

Alfred forgot about everything else and stared only at Arthur “Is he real?” he asked. When he didn’t receive an answer he turned to find his boyhood self gone. Getting back on his feet Alfred took a step forward. The sound of crunching grass caused Arthur to turn toward him. The Brit didn’t look particularly shocked to see him nor did he look happy per say. He merely looked at Arthur with a pleasant expression. “Hello.” Alfred greeted, a bit awkwardly.

Arthur’s brows furrowed “Is their something you wished to tell me?”

Alfred paused, not sure exactly what to say. If this was the real Arthur then he knew exactly what he wanted to say. The first thing would be to yell at him for just up and leaving without so much as a word of goodbye. However, if this wasn’t the real Arthur... Alfred gulped. Thinking on it and thinking back on everything he had gone through there only seemed to be one thing that was worth saying at this point. He nodded “Yes.” He smiled “I wanted to say that I love you.” He walked forward. He ignored Arthur’s gasp and the shattering of the china tea cup as he grabbed the man and brought him in for a deep, passionate, romantic kiss. Just like the ones seen in movies. 

“That’s it Alfred you did it!” 

Alfred opened his eyes and with a touch of regret returned to the real world. “What?”

“You did it!” Toris repeated enthusiastically.

Alfred turned to look behind him. Indeed the tail was gone. His combed a hand through his hair. Ears were gone too. “Do I turn back the same way?”

“Yes, I suppose you can say that, but it is different for everyone. So why don’t you try it.”

Alfred nodded, and closed his eyes once more. He thought about Arthur and the garden. “Anything?” he asked Toris.

“Nothing I’m afraid.”

Alfred tried to think about something else. He imagined himself and Arthur sharing a burger at McDonalds together and how the man would probably be complaining about how much he ate. When he didn’t hear Toris say anything he tried to think of something else. He thought about how at some time he would want to take Arthur to the beach. Alfred had always enjoyed the sun, the ocean, and he wanted to share that with Arthur... with his mate. Not to mention he wanted to see Arthur’s shocked face when he found out Alfred could surf. He even wondered what it would be like to teach Arthur to surf. The man would probably fall off the bored hundreds of times and get so discouraged that he would ultimately begin yelling at Alfred for laughing at him. Alfred chuckled. Oh, how he couldn’t wait for that to happen. And then when the sunset would roll in he would walk Arthur down the beach holding hands. He had seen it so many times in romance films and he had always thought, though secretly, that it was the most romantic thing two people could do together. Well, the most romantic thing with clothes on. 

Wait, clothes? They would be at the beach so they wouldn’t be wearing clothes. The image of Arthur wearing only swim trunks consumed his entire mind. They would be walking along the beach and the only clothing Arthur would have to protect him would be just one thin layer of fabric. Alfred could just imagine how the wet material would cling to that adorable round butt.

“Wow Alfred stop!”

Alfred jolted back into the real world. His face was a dark red. “W-What!” Alfred was shocked to see that floating in mid air all around them where the various instruments of the kitchen, his cat, who was swimming though the air to reach the floating dish of tuna, and the stove clock beeping loudly. “What the hell!” Alfred exclaimed and almost instantly everything in the air dropped and clattered loudly. Faster then he had ever moved before, Alfred managed to catch his kitten and the tuna dish the feline sought. After placing them safely on the ground he turned back to a wide eyed Toris.

“Your ears are back.” Toris said. The man was also in his fox form and his ears and tail looked particularly bushy and disheveled, as if he had just been scared out of his wits. Practically every strand of fur was standing on end. Alfred tried his best not to laugh at his comrade “Um... are you alright.”

“Yes.” Alfred coughed. “I’m fine.” He quickly thought about Arthur and the garden again to switch back to his human form. So it appeared romantic thoughts of Arthur turned him human where as erotic thoughts turned him into a kitsune. Ironic. “Alright now that that is taken care of I would like you to take me to Arthur.”

Toris frowned “Arthur?”

“Oh come on Toris you know Arthur! The magic pool of water showed it to me.” The moment the sentence left his mouth he realized how insane he sounded. He shook his head “He has short blond hair and is a silver fox.” Toris still continued to look at him as if he was insane. “He has really thick eyebrows.”

“Oh!” the man gasped “You are refereeing to Lord Kirkland?”

“So you do know him?”

Toris nodded “Yes I am his aid. I was even asked by him personally several months ago to come here and watch over you.”

“... can you repeat that?” Alfred asked again, his tone not quite as happy as it had been.

“Oh my.” Toris fumbled “I wasn’t supposed to tell anyone that.”

“You were watching me? For how long?”

“Only a month or so. He got a letter saying that there was a man that might be his lost mate working here at the university. He sent me to... well, check you out so to speak.” He stammered “But I knew the moment I saw you that you were the boy he had been looking for. So I told him, but with all that he is having to deal with right now it is hard for him to just get up and travel anywhere. So I was asked to watch over you.” At Alfred’s annoyed look Toris added “It wasn’t you necessarily. It was other kitsune. He didn’t want them finding out about you and taking you away from him.”

Alfred rolled his eyes “As if I am so easily won.”

“Some of them are cunning Alfred. Some of them would even go so far as to use magic on you to ensure that you went with them.”

“Is that possible?”

“Oh yes, though it highly frowned upon. Yet still it does happen all to often.” He sighed “Please don’t be angry at Arthur for that. He only wanted to protect you. He had waited and searched for you for so long. Can you image if at the last moment some fox had just snatched you away-”

“Alright fine.” Alfred waved a hand, a reluctant smile on his face “I’ll admit. You win that argument.” He then pointed a finger at Toris “But I still expect you to be my teacher’s aid.” Toris laughed and nodded “Good, now Toris I need you to take me to Arthur.”

Toris pursed his lips “But I don’t know where he is.”

Alfred face palmed “Didn’t you just say you were his aid?!”

“Yes but that doesn’t mean I know where he is every second of the day.”

“Is he not at his house?”

“No. He hasn’t been there for at least the last three days.”

Alfred groaned “Then how am I supposed to find him!?” A thought occurred to him. “Toris hold my hand.”

“What Alfred?” without explaining Alfred grabbed Toris’ hand and held it in his, their fingers intertwined. He waited... and waited. He looked around the room.

“What the hell. Why isn’t this working?” He looked to Toris as if for answers. 

Toris stared at their intertwined hands “Actually this is rather odd. Most kitsune would come running if their intended was touched by someone else, before they are mated of course.” He frowned “Alfred something is very wrong.”

Letting go of his friend’s hand Alfred grasped Toris by the shoulders. His voice was a deadly whisper “Torsi I need to get to Arthur. Are you sure you do not know where he is?”

Toris shook his head “I do not, but I know where you can go where you might find someone who does.”


	13. Chapter Thirteen

The massive wooden doors of the huge gate marking the historic district of downtown Chinatown were wide open. The lanterns that dangled from each solid pillar were lit and glowed like slow embers in a fireplace. Alfred passed through the gate in a little less then a second, riding as fast as he was able on his bike. The moment he entered he felt something, like energy, sizzle down his spine. Even his bike seemed to hum and vibrate as he raced down the streets. The main street was wide and illuminated by more of those red lanterns. Alfred had little trouble understanding why his students called this the ‘red light district’ rather than the ‘historic district’. At midnight the buildings took on a more mystical and intimidating appeal. The shop doors were brightly lit with smaller red and black lanterns. The few people that were on the streets looked human enough, but they watched Alfred and regarded him with a sort of knowing acknowledgment. This made Alfred think that no one was human at all. 

He had heard stories, of course, about the supposed ‘red light district’. Most people considered the place only safe when visited in the daylight hours. There had been several unsolved deaths associated with this part of town, and Alfred was pretty sure he knew why. He slowed down and eased onto the winding and narrow back streets. They were not quite as nicely lit as the main streets but he could get through. Toris had said that the back streets were a sort of maze that leads one to the second gate of the district. As he made his way through the winding and interchanging paths Alfred relied on instinct alone. He was a kitsune and this was his city. He trusted that he would find the way. He had just turned around a corner when his engine died and the bike came to almost a complete stop. “What the?” Alfred leaned back and was about to dismount when the wall to his left cracked and shifted. The cement bricks seemed to become like puzzle pieces as they shifted and contorted to reveal a passage. 

The second gate, older and more run down looking, arched over the road and stood before him. Alfred stared at the wide-open oak and cast iron door within the tall red posts of the gate. Looking down the raven black street Alfred could see ancient style Chinese and Japanese architectural buildings. Each establishment had small red lanterns handing from each curved corner of the building. Without warning his bike’s engine roared to life once more. The whole bike seemed to vibrate, as if it needed to drive. Thinking nothing of it Alfred turned and entered the second district. The road was smooth and flat. It had absolutely no bumps or grooves that would disrupt and absolutely perfect drive. 

He stopped the bike when he pulled in front of a small Italian bakery and frowned as he looked at the little shop that was wedged between two huge Chinese restaurants. Toris had said that the man who owned this bakery could help him find Arthur. It seemed off to Alfred but he wasn’t about to complain. He cut the engine, got off his bike, and walked into the bakery. With every approaching step he wondered what sort of man Toris had sent him too. The moment the little bell rang, signaling a customer, a man with dark brown hair and a very distinctive curl came around the corner and fixed Alfred with an annoyed look. 

“Ciao.” said the man with a thick Italian accent. “Che cosa vuoi?”

“Um...” Alfred scratched behind his head. He didn’t speak a word of Italian but he was sure the man was asking him what he wanted. “I was sent here by a friend. He said you would be able to help me find who I’m looking for.”

The man’s sour expression never changed “We’re not the mafia you damn American bastard. So I suggest you go someplace else.”

Alfred’s mouth dropped open slight. Well that was rather rude! “Why would my friend tell me to go here if you couldn’t help me!?”

“I don’t know that’s you problem.”

Alfred growled “Look. I know Toris pretty well and he wouldn’t give me false directions. Now he said the man that owns this store could help me find who I’m looking for so you’re going to damn well help me!” Alfred took several steps forward so he was face to face with the Italian. The only thing that separated them was the refrigerator display case that was filled with numerous Italian pastries. They glared at one another.

“Bastardo!” the Italian growled.

“Lovino, detener.” Both Alfred and the Italian turned to see a man with short brown hair and emerald green eyes staring at them. He walked forward and gently pushed the Italian out of the way. “Ay dios mio, Lovino. You scare all the customers away.”

“He’s not a customer!” the Italian, who apparently was named Lovino, retorted irritably.

The new stranger was obviously Spanish and Alfred turned his complete attention to him. “Are you the owner of this bakery?”

The Spaniard laughed “No, I am just a friend of the family.”

“You are not a friend!” Lovino protested.

The Spaniard ignored him “This bakery belongs to his brother.” He pointed to Lovino “He had some business to attend to so we are watching the bakery for him.”

Of all the rotten luck. “Oh.” Alfred said more to himself then anyone else.

“Ay mi, are you alright? You don’t look so good amigo?”

Alfred shook his head “I’m trying to find someone.” He looked up at the man “Do you by any chance know how to reach Arthur Kirkland?”

The Spaniard’s eyes became guarded and the Italian next to him looked utterly shocked. “What is your name amigo?”

“Alfred. My name is Alfred F. Jones.”

“Alfred.” The Spaniard leaned in close “Why would you be looking for this man?”

“It doesn’t matter!” Lovino turned to glare at Alfred “It is forbidden for lower ranking kitsune to address the kitsune lord of any clan they do not belong to, and there is no way you are a silver fox.”

“Enough Lovino!”

“Oh? And how would you know.” Alfred countered.

“I can smell you, you hamburger loving bastard. You may be a kitsune but you are a newly transformed one.” The Italian crossed his arms over his chest “Silver is the rarest color there is. There is no way a newly transformed human would be one.”

Alfred’s smile was all too proud and cocky “You’re right. I am not a silver fox.” He allowed his ears and tail to come out and took a little too much pleasure it watching the Italian stumble back in sock as the Spaniard exclaimed “Ay dios mio!”

The Italian remained silent even as the Spaniard continued to prattle on in his excitement. “This is amazing! I have never seen a gold fox before! Where did you come from? Did you really use to be human? I have never seen this happen in all my years!” when the man clamed down and regained control of himself he said “I can see now why you would wish to meet Lord Kirkland. With that coloring he will more then likely see you immediately.”

“He will see me.” 

“Hm, you seem so sure. Why?”

“Because I am his mate.”

The Spaniard blinked “Mate?” a huge grin broke out on his face again “Mate! Oh this will be the coup of the millennium. A golden and silver fox becoming mates.” He gasped “But, the council is meeting right now.”

“The council?” Those old bunch of foxes that he had seen snarling at Arthur? If that’s where Arthur was right now then nothing good could come from that.

“Yes. That is where Feliciano, he’s the lord of the red foxes if you didn’t know, is right now.”

“Is Arthur there too?”

“Most likely. Every time the council convenes all the lords must be called and present.” He grinned “I’ll take you to them if you want.”

“Antonio!” Lovino grabbed the sleeve of his red shirt “You can not interrupt the council.”

“But Lovino, I must.” He pointed to Alfred “The lord of the golden foxes is not present.”

Alfred didn’t know how, and he didn’t care how, Antonio knew how to get to Arthur he just hoped they were not too late. Antonio gestured for Alfred to come around the counter and then follow him into the back. The moment he crossed through the doorframe the floor gave out from under him and they were suddenly falling. They continued to fall and fall for what, to Alfred, seemed like ages until they landed in something soft and rather scratchy. 

Cursing silently as he leaned up and looked around, he found himself surrounded by orange, red, and yellow leaves. Scrambling to his feet he looked down and then up. All that was above him was a cloudy pale gray sky and below he was standing in a large pile of dead leaves. Sliding down and off he landed on soft, long, uncut grass. It wasn’t dark, but the fog that blanketed the ground was too thick to see anything more then a few feet in front of him. The temperature was warm, far to warm for winter. If Alfred didn’t know better he would say it was late spring. Within seconds he was unzipping and striping off his pilot’s jacket. 

From out of nowhere Antonio appeared at his side once more. “Bit warm for you?”

“Yeah.” Alfred answered. “What is this place? How can a place this warm have fog?”

“It’s not fog. It is steam.”

“Steam?”

“Yes. There is a lake nearby you see.”

Alfred’s brows furrowed. “What? That doesn’t make any sense. Wouldn’t a lake make the air cooler? And it definitely would not give off this much steam.”

“Absolutely, if the lake wasn’t close to boiling in temperature.”

“... A hot lake?”

Antonio clapped him on the shoulder “Let us talk while we walk.” He said as they started moving “Think of it as being one gigantic hot spring, with islands and those islands are connected by old bridges.” Alfred nodded as he followed the Spaniard but his mind was only half listening to what he was saying. Do to the fact that he was in his fox form his tail was hanging out the back of his jeans and causing them to slip down to a dangerous level. The waistline was already ridding low on his hips.

“I assume you are taking me to one of those islands?”

“Yes. The elders, do to their age, are not able to move around. So they spend their days in the conference shrine on the island in the middle of the lake.”

.:.:.:.:.:.:.:.:.:.:.:.

“There is no law that states I must have a consort in order to be the head of my clan.” Arthur shot back, glaring at the elder brown fox. 

Arthur stood before the four elder foxes with barely contained resentment. Behind him stood Roderich, Lord of the brown foxes, and his mate, Feliciano, Lord of the red foxes, and his mate, Kiku, Lord of the black foxes, and his mate Yao, and lastly Francis, Lord of the white foxes. 

“That is true, Lord Kirkland, but there is a law that states all sexually mature foxes must have a mate by the winter solstice.”

“That law was created centuries ago when our populations were on the verge of extinction. Sense we have found we can compatibly mate with humans and other species there is really no need to enforce such a law any more.”

“Just because there is no longer a dire need for it does not mean the law should not be upheld.”

“Well someone hasn’t read ‘The Lottery’ by Shirley Jackson.” Arthur murmured under his breath. Why were people so reluctant to dismiss or change outdated traditions? “Elders the only reason you,” though Arthur know it was more exclusively the brown fox elder “are so adamant that I seek a consort is because without one I do not fit the ‘normal’ parameters of my position. I assure you that having or not having a consort will not reflect on my decisions as a lord negatively. Have I not done a fitting job thus far?”

The white and black fox elders turned to one another and reluctantly nodded their sagging heads. The red fox said nothing and seemed more interested in watching the moths circling the lanterns above their heads. The brown fox elder, as always, bared his teeth at Arthur in clear challenge. “Lord Edelstein.” The brown fox began smugly “What do you think of this.”

Arthur looked over his shoulder at Roderich. The man and he had never been really close but neither had they been enemies either. However, the man was a stickler for tradition and doing what was considered proper and right by social standings. “I personally see no reason why we should change the rules just because Lord Kirkland can not find a mate. Though I do think that he should not bond himself to someone who will be a pour choice to help him lead his clan.”

“As always your words ring true Lord Edelstein.” The elder purred “Tell me. When is your lovely mate due?” At Roderich’s side his brown fox mate, Elizabeta, visibly grew uncomfortable. Her moss green eyes glared at the fox elder. A slender hand went to cover her bulging stomach which could still be seen through her dress.

“She is due before the next full moon.” Roderich answered politely.

That comment, Arthur knew, and been a deliberate stab against him, Kiku, and Feliciano. Arthur glanced at Francis. The white fox could always get off the hook because he was openly bisexual. He then turned to look over his other shoulder. As was the usual Feliciano looked as if he were about to burst into tears and his vampire mate, Ludwig, looked as if he was about to start an all out brawl. The German’s face was as grim as ever. Arthur sighed and looked back down at the ground, staring at his shoes. 

“If it is alright for me to say,” Kiku began “Lord Kirkland does already have a mate.”

“That is true. So why are you pressuring him?” Francis spoke up. 

Arthur allowed himself a soft smile. At least he had someone who had his back in this. Though against the oldest and most set in their ways foxes, Arthur didn’t know if it was going to be much help. “Oh not this again!” the brown fox elder snarled “I have heard just about enough of this supposed mystery child! It is obviously just a ploy you cooked up to get out of having a consort. You wouldn’t even accept Lord Bonnefoy.”

“Elder brown fox you forget your place.” The black fox elder hissed.

Arthur’s ears folded flat against his head “Is that what you think?” he took a step forward “You are dead wrong. I have a mate and-“

“And his mate is me!” a voice, cocky and triumphant, rang out. Everyone turned to see the conference room double doors had been opened. Arthur’s eyes could almost not believe what they were seeing. Alfred, with absolutely gorgeous golden fox hears and tail, walked briskly into the room. Their eyes stayed locked the entire time and then Alfred stopped to stand in front of him, smiling. “You’know. You are quite a hard fox to find.”

Arthur could almost not believe it. He gaped like a fish, wanting to ask so many things at once but not finding the right words. After a moment he smiled and opened his mouth so say how happy he was to see Alfred when the elder brown fox’s voice boomed and reverberated off the walls “What foul magic is this!?”

“It is no magic at all, Elder.” Kiku answered “This is Arthur’s mate, the boy we have been telling you about for some time.”

The elder snapped his teeth with a loud crack “Not possible!”

“It is entirely possible. As I have been saying I bonded myself to a young human boy who, as you can see, has now grown up into a man.”

“Impossible! If you bit him when he was but a child it would have then taken him centuries to grow to the age he is now.”

Alfred was the one to answer “My fox half and I decided to stay separate entities until my body mature before fully merging together.” He winked down at Arthur “That way Lord Kirkland would not have to wait so long for me to grow up.”

“Outsider.” Alfred turned to look up at the white fox as the elder leaned his head down and gave in a gentile sniff. The fox’s nose was about as big as Alfred’s whole head. “Have you dyed your fur?’

Alfred frowned “No?” he replied in a rather offended tone.

“Then... you truly are... gold?”

Alfred nodded “Yup.”

“He is the first golden fox,” Arthur clarified as he took one of Alfred’s hands in his, intertwining their fingers, and cast a pointed look toward the brown fox elder “and my mate.”

“Then if he is the first golden fox that makes him a lord.” cheered the red fox elder, speaking for the first time.

“No it does not!” the brown fox argued “Only the strongest and most powerful individual of every color is given the title of lord.”

“He is the only golden fox and thus the strongest.” Feliciano chimed in. He didn’t look as if he was going to cry anymore. Instead he looked as if he was having a smashing good time.

Francis chuckled “Besides, if Arthur made him then he is almost certain to be powerful.”

Alfred looked around, finally taking notice of just how many people were in the room. Feliciano smiled and waved at him when their gazes happened to meet. He nodded toward Kiku and Yao, already knowing them, and then sent a rather guarded look toward Francis. He looked toward the brown fox pair but they seemed to ignore him entirely for they were too entranced by the bickering going on between the Elders. Alfred turned back to look down at Arthur. “Was I too late?”

Arthur shook his head “No. You were just in time.”

“A hero always is.” He grinned “Though if you hadn’t left I wouldn’t have had to come find you.”

Arthur frowned “I had to leave. You needed time to understand that you belonged with your own kind and you needed to realize that you needed me.” He glanced at Alfred’s ears “Though maybe not as much as I had first thought.”

“I would have come to that realization eventually. Couldn’t you have just been patient?”

“As I said you needed your space.”

“What I needed was you with me to help me though everything.”

“Well how am I supposed to know that if you don’t tell me!”

“I couldn’t find you!” 

“Enough!” the elder white fox yowled and the whole room fell into a dead silence. Everyone’s eyes were on the elder. “It seems to me that Lord Kirkland had fulfilling his duty and found himself a mate. It also seems that this mate of his has been so blessed by the gods and goddesses to be given a truly remarkable color. A golden fox has never before been seen by any of this council.” He raised a giant paw “You, young man, are granted the title of lord by this council. You will from now on be the lord to all golden foxes, should any more be born. Now, you must claim a territory.”

A small blue and green sphere that resembled the earth descended from the fox’s paw down to Alfred, where it levitated in front of him. Alfred stared down at it in confusion as it rotated. Some of the green areas on the ball flashed red. 

“Those are countries already claimed by the different lords.” Arthur whispered to him.

“Then what do I do?”

“Find a green one and click it.”

Alfred inwardly groaned. Geography had not been his best subject- wait. His eyes brightened when he saw the continent of North America. There was a section of red at the top which looked like Canada but there was a green directly below it. Oh yeah! He grinned and pressed his index finger against it. The green area turned red and then the ball vanished.

“So you claim the territory of the continental United States?” the white fox asked.

Alfred frowned “No, I think I would like Alaska and Hawaii too.” If he had Hawaii then he could go there and visit whenever he wanted. He could surf and take Arthur there on their vacations. Besides it just seemed wrong to leave out Alaska and Hawaii. 

“Very well.” The white fox nodded and then turned to the rest of the lords “This council is dismissed.”

“Elder White I would strongly advise-”

“Enough Elder Brown!” the white fox turned his head and snapped at the brown one, nearly biting his nose. “I have spoken.”


	14. Chapter Fourteen

Alfred had to admit, Arthur’s house was gorgeous. He leaned against the sliding glass door and looked out over the nearly acre-wide garden that surrounded the house. Alfred had seen glimpses of it before, in the pool of water and in his mind, but none of it could compare to the real thing. It was like every square inch was covered with life and color. He turned as Arthur entered the room carrying a tray. After the little ‘incident’ with the elders Arthur had practically rushed them both back to his place, he had even opened a portal. Glancing one last time out the glass door Alfred found it amazing to think that at that moment he was in Great Britain and not America. 

He turned away from the door and came to sit on the couch next to Arthur. The silver fox had said nothing to Alfred since they had arrived and with every tick of the grandfather clock in Arthur’s living room, Alfred grew more and more anxious. They were finally together and alone. Wasn’t that what Arthur wanted? 

“Here,” Arthur finally said as he handed Alfred a cup of tea “I know American’s prefer coffee but this is all I have.”

Well, Alfred thought, no moment like the present. He might as well just jump it. “It’s fine. We’ll go out shopping one of these days and stock up on the things I like.” Arthur stopped in mid reach for the cream. “That is, if you still want me to live here. Mates are supposed to live together correct?”

Arthur frowned. “You have claimed the United States as your territory. You are a lord now, so your place is there.”

“I seem to recall a rather stubborn silver fox telling me not so long ago that my place is with him.” He placed a hand on Arthur shoulder. “That goes both ways you know.” Arthur turned to look at him and Alfred gave him a wink and a smile. He then looked back to the tea cup and took a hesitant sniff.

“It’s PG Tips tea. It’s one of the best brands in England.”

“I though you guys drank English breakfast or Earl Gray?”

Arthur’s expression was completely unamused “I do not know of any Englishman who prefers those types of tea over anything else.” Alfred raised a brow but let the subject slide. It would be a little difficult, he realized, considering the slight differences in their cultures and where they were from... but he knew that it would just make their relationship all the more richer. He brought the teacup to his lips and took a hesitant sip, and was startlingly surprised with how good it tasted. It was warm, aromatic, and rather light as it washed over his tongue. It was not at all overpowering or disgustingly bland.   
“This tastes great!” Alfred grinned and turned to smile at Arthur, because he knew it would make the Brit happy. 

Arthur chuckled “I’m glad you like it.” He then leaned against the couch and took on a more serious tone “So, how did you find me?”

“It wasn’t easy. After merging with my younger self I then had Toris tell me where I could find you and he instructed me to go to an Italian bakery in the old red light district.”

“Feliciano’s bakery?”

“One and the same.” Alfred though back to all the fox lords he had seen. Antonio had said that Feliciano was the lord of the red foxes, and Alfred had seen a man with red fox ears and tail there; but the man next to him had not had any animal features at all. “On another note, can you tell me who that guy was that was next to the red fox lord? He looked human.”

“Far from it. That would be Ludwig and he’s a vampire, and he is Lord Vargas’ mate.”

“A fox and a vampire?”

“Is that so surprising? There are countless romance novels featuring vampires and werewolves.”

Alfred shrugged “Yeah, but up until a few days ago I never though they actually existed. A lot has changed and I’m still getting used to it.”

Arthur expression fell slightly “Oh, I see.” He took a steadying breath “I’m happy... that you here. I know it was probably a lot for you to deal with and I’m sorry about that. But I’m still very happy that you’re here.” He pursed his lips “After I left and you didn’t come within a day or two... I was sure I had ruined everything.”

“Then why didn’t you come back.”

“I had convinced myself that you needed time, as I have said.” He sighed “Obviously now we can see what you required was something else.”

“I know about what was going on.” Alfred started “Kiku showed me some of it anyway. I saw glimpses of the past, of you and the elders arguing and you and the white fox guy sitting in the garden.” His ears folded flat against his head “That guy really rubs me the wrong way.”

Arthur’s brows furrowed “Are you... jealous?”

Alfred turned away “Even if I was you’re mine now so it doesn’t matter.” Arthur was speechless and then he started laughing. Alfred glared at him but that didn’t seem to stop him. “What is so funny?”

Arthur waved a hand, “Nothing. I’m sorry.” He took a steadying breath “You know, when you claimed the United States as your territory, I though is was rather ironic and sweet. Do you purposefully do that?”

Alfred tilted his head to one side “Do you mean me taking America and you having England?’

“Yes, considering the two countries histories together.”

Alfred smiled and nodded. He hadn’t but there was no way he was going to tell Arthur that. It was better to let the man think he had done something romantic then to know that he had chosen America more of less because he didn’t know of the other countries.

“Alfred.” Arthur moved forward. “Is this it? Have you decided to stay with me?”

Alfred blinked. “I wouldn’t be here if I hadn’t.”

Arthur focused on Alfred’s lips and leaned in close. His eyes darted up to catch Alfred’s the second before he brushed his lips over his. Alfred pressed in more fully and opened his mouth to taste that excruciatingly delicious flavor all over Arthur’s tongue and lips. It seemed weird to him how much the scent of tea had become a turn on for him. His partial erection became a full, raging hard on. Still in his fox form, the jeans hung low on his waistline, making the bulge all the more obvious. One of Arthur hands moved upward and combed through his hair, being careful not to hurt his ears. Alfred moaned under Arthur’s kiss. The unconscious casual petting only fuelled his desires further. He could almost taste the building fire and sweet tang of magic on Arthur’s tongue. He needed, wanted, and craved more. He wanted more then anything for Arthur to cum.

He wanted to see his face on the brink of orgasm and he definitely wanted to hear him scream when he entered the Brit. Arthur made their intimacy all the more exciting when he moved from sitting beside Alfred on the couch to sitting in his lap, straddling his hips. Their eyes locked. Alfred looking up at him, and Arthur looking down. The Englishman leaned their foreheads together. “I’ve waited for you for so long.” His smile was reminiscent and yet happy at the same time. “This hardly seems real.”

Alfred nodded, understanding how lonely Arthur must have been. It was a beautiful huge house with a glorious garden full of pixies and such, but there was no one to share it with. Alfred knew Arthur was not the type of person who needed to be alone. The Englishman may prefer it, but the truth was he needed companionship. Alfred smirked “This is real.” He replied “I’m here now, and for better or worse you are stuck with me.”

Arthur chuckled “I suppose I am.” He gasped as Alfred pressed a hand against the crotch of his jeans, fondling the evident erection restrained within. With little trouble he thumbed open the button and then pulled down the zipper. “A-Alfred.” Arthur whispered words were cut off by a sharp intake of breath as Alfred slipped his hand inside and retrieved his rigid cock. Arthur’s grip on his hair tightened, but Alfred didn’t mind. Arthur’s cock was a nice length and felt thick and heavy in his hand. On the stroke upward and he could tell the Englishman was circumcised, which Alfred preferred. It was easier to bring pleasure if there wasn’t anything in the way. He took in a deep breath, ingraining Arthur’s scent and the musk of him in his mind. He wanted to roll in Arthur’s scent and cover himself in it. Alfred turned his head and bit at Arthur’s neck, his fangs grazing against the pale skin but not breaking it.

Arthur groaned “Alfred. Are you trying to make me cum right here?”

Alfred chuckled “Maybe.”

Arthur shook his head. “Impatient American. I guess I’ll just have to take you right now.” Alfred’s body was pushed sideway and suddenly he was lying lengthwise on the couch with Arthur leaning over him. Arthur leaned down and grabbed the hem of Alfred’s shirt, jerking it up and over his head. Alfred relaxed and let Arthur lead. He knew this was coming and considered that perhaps it was best that for their first time Arthur should lead. The man had been a Kitsune for far longer than he, and there was always something nice about being the submissive every once in a while. Alfred arched his back when Arthur dragged his fingernails down his chest. He would give Arthur this first time, but if the man thought that this was how it was going to be every time then he was mistaken. 

Arthur leaned over him and brushed his tongue over his right nipple. Voluptuous excitement pulsed in Alfred’s core and echoed throughout his body. His body trembled as he groaned as experienced lips kissed a tingling trail up his chest. The Englishman seemed to purr as he examined the bleeding mark on Alfred’s neck. “You’re bleeding for me again.” Arthur smiled and then pressed his lips to Alfred’s throat, delivering a long and hot lick. 

Shivers spilled down Alfred’s body. He gasped and his legs seemed to go numb. His hands fisted in Arthur’s shirt, and he heard the tell tale noise of fabric tearing. Arthur’s free hand snaked down Alfred’s abdomen to cup his groin. A small whimper escaped Alfred. Arthur sealed his mouth over the wounds on Alfred’s throat, and sucked, hard.

A violet bolt of red hunger burned down his spine and slammed into his cock. Alfred shouted. Beyond any thought but the urgent need for release, he parted his legs and allowed Arthur to settle between them. He bucked upward, grinding his restrained erection into Arthur’s hand. Arthur let go of his neck, his breath coming in sort pants. He leaned back and looked down Alfred. His face was the most adorable shade of red even if his expression was pure lust and adoration. 

Alfred smiled up at him “I love you.” He said again, because it seemed like the right thing to say.

Arthur’s color tinged cheeks darkened “I—Idiot. Don’t say stuff like that out of the blue.” Though Alfred could tell the retort was only because Arthur was embarrassed. He smiled and leaned up, bringing Arthur down for another kiss. They moaned and when the kiss broke Alfred breathed against Arthur’s ear as the Englishman gripped his jeans in both hands and yanked them down and off his hips. He tossed them over his shoulder, not caring where they landed. 

It wasn’t fair. Alfred was now completely naked and Arthur was still fully dressed. He gripped Arthur’s shirt in both hands and practically ripped the fabric apart, revealing his chest. Arthur gasped and probably would have yelled at him, if Alfred had not kept his mouth occupied with his tongue. His hands caressed down Arthur’s sides to then grab hold of his jeans. He needed the other man’s assistance in getting them off, but once they and his underwear were gone, they stopped for a moment to stare at one another.

No words were spoken. No words needed to be spoken. It was like all time had stopped around them and everything outside of that small space between their bodies had become irrelevant. All that mattered was them. All that had ever mattered was this one brief moment in time. 

Arthur’s fingers traced along Alfred’s defined muscles. His breath ghosted over Alfred’s chest. “You are breathtaking.” Arthur admitted. He then smirked as he reached out a hand and removed Alfred’s glasses. “Though I do find your ‘sexy geek’ look attractive, I must admit that fogged up glasses do not suit you.” After setting his glasses aside, Arthur’s palms slid downward and he leaned in, licking and kissing a trail down Alfred’s chest. 

Alfred’s senses were reeling. The smell of Arthur was pungent in to the air. He smelled of tea, flowers, and masculine arousal. His body felt so hot pressed against his, so right. He grasped Arthur’s head in his hands, his fingers twining in his hair as the Brit’s mouth got closer and closer to his groin. Arthur’s breath teased and blew over the tip of Alfred’s cock. In a moment of pleasure, he glanced upward momentarily.

Sprawled across his couch, his hair a mess even with that cute little stand that never stayed down, his face flushed with passion, and his toned body completely naked before Arthur. He would never have imagined that adorable little child would grow into such an attractive stud of a man. Alfred truly was remarkable. He turned his attention back to his mate’s erection and swiped the head of Alfred’s hard cock with his lips and tongue. He continued to lick over the blushing head and when he took Alfred into his mouth he looked upward and locked gazes with the American. He delved his tongue into and across the slit, wanting more. 

Easing the American’s thick erection down his throat, he ran his fingers up and down the crease of Alfred’s ass. His inner fox growled, adamant that he posses what was his in every way. Right now he wanted to hear the man’s voice. Relaxing his throat, Arthur took Alfred all the way down. He felt the man’s testicles brush against his chin and knew more then ever before that they were a perfect fit for one another. Arthur swallowed, causing Alfred to gasp and cry out.   
“Oh, fuck!” His knees trembled. Arthur pulled back just enough to take a much needed breath before sliding back down. Alfred’s hands went to his shoulders as he threw back his head and moaned. “Arthur! I’m--fuck--about to cum.” Arthur pulled back and allowed the man’s erection to slip from his mouth.

“A little impatient, are we?”

At Alfred’s embarrassed blush, Arthur moved and pushed two fingers between his cheeks. Alfred’s eyes went wide when the probing digits encountered his anus. Upon contact the American felt a warm, thick gel being smeared over him. “W-where did you get lube?”

“Magic is good for many things, Alfred.” Arthur murmured. “Part your legs a bit wider.”

Alfred did as he was told, all the while his breathing came in slow gasps. Rimming the slick fingers around Alfred’s anus, Arthur leaned in and kissed him again. “You have no idea how long I have waited for this.”

Alfred groaned as he moved his lower half and thrust into Arthur’s hand as one finger thrust inside him. His face contorted in pain for but a second and then he growled “How long?”

“Since you were little.”

“You have-“

“No. No one could compare to you. More than that, however, I am not an unfaithful man.” Alfred opened his mouth to say something but lost it on a cry as another finger pushed inside him. He could feel himself stretching. It was completely uncomfortable, but the desire and need outweighed the pain. “You feel amazing.” Arthur whispered as he brushed his fingers against Alfred’s walls.

Alfred smirked “If you think this is good. Just wait until you’re inside.”

Arthur added another finger, making his mate jerk and whimper. “Don’t tempt me more than you already are.” He pushed his fingers forward and found Alfred’s prostate. Knowing what was about to come, Arthur rubbed his index finger over it nice and slow.

“Oh fuck! What the- fuck!” Alfred nearly screamed. His hands and fingers dug into the couch as his entire body jerked.

“Did you enjoy that?”

“God, more!" Alfred breathed. “Please!”

Arthur looked deeply into his eyes “Are you ready for me?”

“Even if I’m not, I want it.” Alfred replied, and meaning every word of it. 

He withdrew his fingers and, after applying more lube to himself, moved closer between Alfred’s spread thighs. Alfred could feel the tip brushing and pressing against him. It sent mini shivers up his spine and it made his skin feel like it was on fire. He hooked his forearms under his knees, giving Arthur a better angle of penetration. 

Pushing the crown of his erection into Alfred’s body wasn’t as easy as he’d hoped. “Bloody hell, you’re tight.”

Alfred groaned “What do you expect? This is my first time in this position.”

Arthur stopped, completely frozen. “What?”

“You heard me.” Alfred said slowly as he tried to keep his breathing even. “Why do you think I wanted to be the dominant one?” If it was possible Arthur looked completely stunned. Alfred sighed “It’s fine. I’m fine. Just, please move.” Arthur nodded and placed a hand on Alfred’s stomach, rubbing softly.

“Push back and out against me.” He whispered “Let me in. Let me love you.”

Alfred relaxed his body enough to allow Arthur inside. That last sentence helped Alfred more than the man realized. Arthur tried to go slow, not wanting to damage Alfred permanently. His body was new to this after all. However, his over sensitive erection and his raging inner fox wanted more. Sweat broke out on his forehead with the forced restraint as he slowly pushed his way inside. 

He watched Alfred’s blushing contorted face for any sign of agony. There was the momentary twinge of pain, but for the most part he seemed to be enjoying it. Changing his angle just a bit, Arthur ran his sex against Alfred’s prostate. The moment he did that, Arthur felt as if his shaft was clamped in a hot vice. Alfred cried out and his hand went to squeeze his own erection forcibly. “Hell, you really are trying to make me cum before you.” Alfred breathed. 

“Is that so horrible?” Arthur asked with a raised brow.

Alfred smirked “No, but I don’t wanna cum before you. I wanna cum with you.”

The more relaxed and yielding body under him made Arthur’s entry easier and he virtually moaned as he sheathed himself to the base. He was completely with him. His inner fox purred at the feeling and thought. Arthur leaned over and kissed Alfred’s lips. “I’m all the way in. Tell me when I can move.”

“Move it now.” Alfred replied. “Otherwise I’m going to go insane.”

Smiling, Arthur pulled out slightly and then eased himself back inside. Once he was sure that Alfred was indeed right and ready for him, he began to quicken his thrusts. With each stroke he slammed in a little harder and pulled out a little farther. The warmth of Alfred’s body surrounding him felt like heaven. He knew that with every thrust his climax drew nearer and nearer. Being celibate for so long was not aiding his stamina. Still, he wanted Alfred to cum. Luckily it seemed the American was just as close as him. 

He reached between them and started stroking Alfred in time with his thrusts. “Damn it.” Alfred growled as he closed his eyes. The man’s hands went to Arthur’s back, scraping down his skin and leaving thin, red, bleeding lines. Arthur smirked. So it seems his more animalistic instincts were making an appearance. The more he stroked the harder Alfred became. With his testicles slapping against Alfred on every thrust, Arthur leaned down and ran his tongue over Alfred’s wound again. 

“Cum for me.” He whispered before sinking his fangs into Alfred’s skin. He squeezed Alfred’s erection a little tighter at the same time as he came deep inside him. Alfred’s eyes went wide and he cried out as his mind exploded inside his skull. Brazen passion surged through his blood. He came, shooting spurt after spurt of hot seed into and on Arthur’s hand. Arthur’s stomach muscles tightened to the point of pain as Alfred’s body milked every last drop of release from him. 

With one last strangled gasp Arthur leaned down, resting his body on top of Alfred’s. They stayed there, panting for breath, for several moments. Even when they had regained their composure they still lay there in silence. They were sated and more than content to stay where they were.


	15. Chapter Fifteen

Alfred yawned as he turned over on his side, his legs tangled up with the soft sheets. His eyes opened to find that he was lying in a bed with a dark blue comforter. Alfred blinked as he looked to the other side of the bed, which was empty. Where was Arthur? He tried to think back to last night. He had been a little sore so Arthur had given him some medicine and then they had more collapsed on the bed. Alfred had remembered snuggling against Arthur’s back and wrapping his arms around him just before he went to sleep. The thought had his already half hard morning erection standing at full attention. Rolling his eyes at his own body’s urges, he got out of bed and found his way to the bathroom. After relieving himself he had then used Arthur’s hairbrush to comb down his absolute mess of a bed head. He thought about dressing but decided it wasn’t really needed.

Exiting the bedroom, Alfred walked down the hall and made his was toward the stairs. He wondered for a moment if he would ever get use to the sheer size of Arthur’s two-level house alone. He descended the stairs and then stopped at the lowest step. Something smelled like it was burning. He heard Arthur curse and then there was the clattering of a pot. Turning the corner Alfred found Arthur, dressed in nothing but his leather pilot’s jacket, leaning over a cookie sheet with four triangular brown mounds on it. His sour expression led Alfred to believe he was not in a particularly pleased mood. Too bad, because seeing his mate naked and wearing only his jacket had Alfred completely aroused and happy.

“Is something wrong?”

Arthur turned, a pink blush coloring his cheeks. He offered Alfred a sleepy smile from under a tumble of golden blonde hair. He was breathtaking.  
“Good Morning. I wanted to make us breakfast.” He sighed. “But I accidentally burned the scones.” Alfred walked forward, ignoring the smell of the burnt food and instead concentrating on Arthur’s scent. Under the man’s scent Alfred could detect the sexual hint of his own. The feeling of lust went straight to Alfred’s already straining groin. “Oh, sorry. I was only wearing your coat because it was a bit cold.” 

Arthur went to remove the coat but Alfred stopped him. “Leave it on.” He leaned forward and cupped Arthur’s jaw in his hands. He pressed an open mouthed kiss to his lips. 

Alfred’s mind disposed of everything but the warm, muscular body in his arms, pressing against his chest and belly, the smooth skin under his fingers, and the heated mouth attempting to devour him. The burning desire and hunger to dominate simmered within him and remained unsatisfied. He grabbed Arthur by the shoulders and slammed him backward, down on the table. Arthur gasped and exclaimed “Alfred! What are you doing?!”

His expression was startled and a bit worried but his rapidly hardening erection exposed his true desires. Alfred breathed in deeply. Oh yes, Arthur was definitely aroused. “I’m claiming you.” Arthur’s eyes widened “I told you I wasn’t going to bottom all the time.”

Arthur tried to struggle but found he could not break Alfred’s hold on him. “But I am older than you.”

“That may be, but I am also a rarer colour than you.” Alfred countered. “What really has you protesting this Arthur? Do you honestly not want it? Or is it that you feel others will lose respect for you if they found out?” Arthur froze at the second statement. Alfred smirked. Got it. “You know we could switch. I don’t mind as long as it if fair.” Arthur didn’t say anything. Alfred made a point to brush their erections together, making the Brit moan and jerk. “Come on, Arthur. You know you enjoy this.”

Arthur still didn’t say anything; instead, he reached up with both hands to grab Alfred’s darker honey blonde hair and yanked, pulling the American’s head down to his mouth. The Brit’s hands went to his back, where his palms moved down to grope Alfred’s ass. Alfred growled and nudged himself between Arthur’s thighs. Carnal fire scorched along the path of Arthur’s fingers, forcing a gasped moan from his lips. He rolled his hips, causing glorious friction with Arthur’s crotch. 

Alfred growled low in his chest. Arthur was gaining too much control and Alfred knew just how to regain it. He grabbed Arthur’s wrists and yanked them up and over his head, pinning them to the table. Then he lifted his knee to the tabletop, jamming it between Arthur’s spread thighs. Arthur went almost completely limp as his green eyes looked up at Alfred. “I am dominant.” He said in a low voice. “And you will submit to me.” Pinning both of Arthur’s wrists with one hand, Alfred reached down to grasp a firm hold of the silver fox’s erection. 

Arthur gasped. “You are really going to do this!” He sounded alarmed and excited at the same time.

“Is this your first time?” Alfred whispered against his lips.

Arthur shook his head. “No, it is... just not done. A lord is not-”

“Even to another lord?” He gave Arthur a quick peck. “I find that hard to believe, because I saw Kiku and Yao do much the same thing.”

“What?” Arthur’s face turned dark red. 

Alfred chuckled. “You know, I’m beginning to think you are a little bit of a pervert.”

“I-Idiot!” Arthur yelled and then groaned loudly as Alfred pressed their cocks together, stroking them both at the same time. 

Standing between Arthur’s spread thighs, Alfred stared down at the man he held by the wrists, flat on his back on the smooth cherry wood table, his blonde hair fanned around his head in a disorderly mess. The man’s silver tail was arched off to the side, spilling over the table’s edge. A cool and invigorating wave of excitement and anticipation rushed through his veins. All that slender and toned skin was under his complete control. He could feel his grin widening even farther. He really did love being dominant. 

He used Arthur’s wrists to pull him to the edge of the desk. The Englishman’s bare feet landed on the tiled floor. He then turned Arthur around to face the table, grabbing a handful of the man’s golden blonde hair, and pushing him face down. Arthur stretched out his arms, keeping his face from colliding with the table. “What are you doing?”

Alfred stared at the round, firm, snow-white butt bent over the desk. Arthur was just far enough away that his cock was not pressed painfully against the table edge. The man’s silver tail swayed and then curved over his hip. It was a sign of animalistic submission and invitation. Alfred licked his lips. Perfect. He then reached around to grasp hold of Arthur’s cock once more.

From what little he had seen and knew of magic it seemed relatively simple to use. All one had to do was imagine or think what they wanted into being. He wanted to test that theory out now. Concentrating, he then circled a finger around the base of Arthur’s cock, and was rewarded when his lover gasped forcefully.

“What the bloody hell?!” Arthur shoved up onto his hands and glared at Alfred’s over his shoulder “What did you do!?”

Alfred shoved Arthur back down with a satisfied grin. “Just a cock ring. After all, you were so nice to give me one when we first met.”

Eyeing Alfred over his shoulder Arthur’s breathing came in frantic gasps “A cock ring? You sadistic bastard!”

“Oh?” Alfred raised a brow “Look who’s talking.” He raised a hand then tried to imagine his finger covered in lubricant. To his astonishment it worked. “I seem to be pretty good at this magic thing.” He reached down to smooth his went hand along the swollen length of his own erection, taking the time to smear the dripping precum all over the head. 

Arthur’s emerald eyes widened to show white all the way around “Y-you’re not going to use fingers first?”

Alfred pressed himself up against Arthur’s smooth bottom and pressed between his cheeks. He encountered Arthur’s anus with ease and ground against it teasingly.  
“I think you can handle it.” He leaned over Arthur’s back to whisper in his ear “I suggest you push out hard.” His free hand scraped down Arthur’s side to then grasp the right side of his hips. He thrust, pressed hard against the tight opening between Arthur’s cheeks. Arthur cried out but pushed his hips backward. Alfred encountered no resistance as the tip was pressed inside.

Arthur groaned, his head dropping to the tabletop, and then arched under him. His body felt so wonderful and hot. Arthur had no idea how gorgeous he looked, sprawled out with his body contorting and straining as it was filled. 

The head of Alfred’s cock cleared the inner tight ring of muscles and forged deeper into the hot, smooth velvet of Arthur’s rear. Inch by snug, warm inch, his sex was swallowed. He could not help the growl of carnal bliss that escaped him. Every molecule in his body seemed to be vibrating with satisfaction. 

“Fuck, you feel amazing.” Alfred whispered breathlessly.

Arthur moaned and tried to push himself backward. “Damn it... move idiot!”

He pulled back and then thrust in hard, slammed all the way into Arthur’s body as far as he could go. The enveloping heat wrapped around him tightened in gentile suction, as though urging him deeper. He released a heartfelt but strangely fox-like cry as he felt completely overwhelmed with sensation. 

Arthur released the tiniest of whimpers. “You’re too big.” 

Alfred leaned down to kiss his ear. “I’d say I’m just the perfect size for you.” He reached under to pinch one of Arthur’s nipples and rolled his hips in a circular motion, grinding his sex within to force the body he’d impaled to make room for him. He felt the slightest of bumps catch on the upper edge of his cock’s crown. Arthur gasped and bucked hard. Apparently, Alfred had caught Arthur’s prostate. Wanting only the best for his mate, Alfred slid back and then slammed himself against it. Arthur screamed his name. The Brit moaned and shuddered as he thrust back in reply. Alfred felt Arthur’s inner wall tremble around him.

“Git...come one... fuck me harder.” Arthur gasped out.

Alfred was all too happy to oblige. He thrust, hard, and set a blinding pace that had Arthur’s feet lifting off the tiles. He reached his hand around and stroked Arthur in time with every one of his thrusts. He mentally released the cock ring and heard Arthur overjoyed groan when the spell disappeared. Gasping and moaning, Arthur reached up to grab hold of the far edge of the table, pushed up on his toes, and shoved back to meet Alfred stroke for stroke. Arthur’s heat delivered the tightest and most exquisite sensations, combined with the man’s own rich musk and the smell of sex, Alfred felt as if he were about to lose his mind. Only one clear though echoed in his mind.

He was close and he could smell that Arthur was nearly there as well. He leaned over his back and licked Arthur right shoulder before sinking his teeth down into the smooth white flesh. Arthur choked and stiffened, his eyes closing tightly as he screamed Alfred’s name. The other man’s release sprayed and coated Alfred’s hand, some drops falling to the kitchen floor. 

His urgency well beyond the breaking point, Alfred slammed into Arthur as hard as he could one final time and then remained inside him as his climax crashed down on top of him. Ecstasy burned from the beginning on his spine all the way to the tip of his tail. His breath hitched as he released every last drop of himself deep within Arthur’s body. Sensation, satisfaction, power, and love filled him. Still leaning over Arthur’s back Alfred licked the bite mark he had made and then moved to kiss and nip Arthur’s neck. Arthur panted for breath under him. “Are you alright?” Alfred whispered.

Arthur gulped as he nodded slowly. His voice sounded a little raw when he answered. “Just... never had it that rough before.”

“I would apologize if I thought you minded.”

A short laugh escaped him. “You really weren’t kidding when you said you like to be dominant.”

“No, I wasn’t.” He kissed Arthur’s cheek “Though I didn’t mind last night either, as long as it is you.”

Arthur turned his head and brought their mouths into a long and sensual kiss. He brushed his tongue over Alfred’s bottom lip. “The food is probably cold.”

Alfred resisted the urge to say what Arthur had been cooking didn’t look like food, so instead he smiled and said. “How about I cook us something. Do you like pancakes?”

“What is a pancake?”

Alfred laughed “I forgot that pancakes are kind of an American thing. Don’t worry though,” he winked “You’ll love them.”

.:.:.:.:.:.:.:.:.:.:.:.

“So, how are they?” Alfred beamed as he watched Arthur take a hesitant bite. He chewed for a moment and then nodded his head.

“They’re not bad. They kind of remind me of... lets see... a thicker version of a crepe.” He smiled toward Alfred. “But they do taste good.” He took several more bites. “I was hoping later on today we could do what you said yesterday. I mean, going a getting some groceries you like.”

Alfred shrugged. “That can be done any time if your want. Though I do suppose we do need a break every once in a while.” 

Arthur face flushed “A-again?”

“What do you mean again? I plan on us breaking in that mattress of yours for the rest of the day. We still have yet to show it some love, if you haven’t noticed.” Alfred frowned “Or is there a problem?”

Arthur shook his head even as he laughed. “No, I’m quite satisfied. I’m just surprised by your energy.” Alfred laughed to and winked.

“Since we are on the subject of getting stuff when should I move my stuff in?”

“Alfred I wasn’t lying when I said you should live in the U.S. and have your own place there.”

“But then we would hardly see one another. Can’t we just have two homes and go back and forth between them?”

“Well...” Arthur paused, “I suppose we could have thing for both of us at each other’s houses, if that would work better for you?”

“Hey Arthur, there had been this one question that keeps bothering me.”

“What is it?”

“Why is it that you had to have a mate by the Winter solstice? What is so special about that time?”

“Oh,” Arthur smiled “The winter and summer solstices are when the magic is at it’s peak. It is during this time when many coupled conceive children.”

“Oh,” Alfred said plainly, looking back at his plate. “But you’re gay, so you were not going to have children anyway. So why were they pressuring you so much?”

“Mostly it was because I refused to do what they considered traditional, and who says I can’t have children?” He pointed his fork at Alfred. “I’ll have you know what when we are ready, we are having kits.”

That sentence shocked Alfred so much that he dropped his own fork. The metal clattered on the plate loudly before it clanged on the table. “What?!” 

Arthur frowned as he repeated. “We will have kits. Why, do you not like children?”

Alfred shook his head as he stood up, placing both his hands on the table. “That’s not what I meant!” He pointed to Arthur and then himself. “We. Can. Have. Kids?”

Arthur gave him a crisp nod. “Yes.”

“How?!”

“Humans are not the only ones who have perfected some aspects of science, Alfred. With the aid of magic, though still abiding by the laws of nature and creation, nearly anything is possible.” Arthur took a sip of his tea. The silver fox was acting as if the concept of children was not utterly miraculous but Alfred was utterly blown away. 

“Tell me how.”

Arthur pursed his lips “Well, in simple terms... You know how most mammalian males have an X and Y chromosome, or something akin to it.” Alfred nodded. “Well, all one needs to make a child is two different sex cells, and luckily for males they have both the female X and the male Y. During the time of either the winter or summer solstice celebrations, a scientist will take our DNA, or our sex cells, and will use magic to merge them together. After that it is more or less science that keeps the baby alive until it is fully formed and able to breathe air. The kits are kept in incubators until they are mature enough.”

“And this is... normal?”

“In our society, yes. It is quite common for same gender couples to have children by this method. It is quite popular because the babies are truthfully a genetic product of both parents.” Alfred sat back down, at a complete loss for words. “Are you alright?”

“Yeah, just completely blown away with how much I did not know existed.” 

Alfred had never considered the possibility of children due to his sexual preference. It was a weird revelation to now have the option once more. He began to consider it. Arthur seemed more then eager to have kids, or ‘kits’ as he called them, but what did he feel? He had always enjoyed kids and they were a blast to play with. He began to imagine what his and Arthur’s child would be like. He would probably have his coloring because darker blond hair was dominant over light blonde hair. Alfred had no idea whether the kid would have his or Arthur’s eyebrows. Would it be a boy or a girl? Hell, if a scientist was doing it with magic they could probably choose for themselves what they wanted. Alfred suddenly found himself smiling as he imagined himself and Arthur taking and little boy to the beach, going stare gazing, and teaching him how to play football...or soccer in Arthur’s case. He chuckled. Yeah, he was beginning to like the idea.

“Why are you suddenly so happy?” 

“Oh,” Alfred shrugged “No reason.”

Arthur shook his head and then took another sip of his tea, clutching Alfred’s coat around him tighter “This is rather strange. It is never this cold in my house.”

“Well, maybe it’s cold outside.”

Arthur waved a hand in dismissal “Impossible. One of my abilities is gardening, so I always keep my home rather warm. Occasionally it rains but it is never cold. It would damage the flowers.”

Alfred rose from the table and walked out of the kitchen and to the back door. He pulled open the curtain and was not too surprised to see a thin layer of snow covering everything outside. It even covered the hillside. “Really?” Alfred called “Because it’s snowing.”

“What?!” Arthur came dashing around the corner and looked out the sliding glass door in horror. “Bloody hell!” He screamed and then in a flash turned to Alfred “You!” He pointed a finger at Alfred. 

Alfred looked around before pointing a finger at himself. “Me?” He looked back out at the snow. How was this his fault?

“Alfred.” Arthur smile was dangerously tight. “I seem to remember Kiku telling me of some rather peculiar weather a few days ago where you live. Is that true?” Alfred nodded “And did this weather happen to,” he shrugged. “Miraculously disappear after you and your fox self joined?” Alfred nodded again. Arthur growled and stepped forward, causing Alfred to take a step back “You, my troublesome mate, seem to have a flare for the more wintery weather temperatures.”

Alfred glanced back out the sliding glass door “I did that?” So the snowstorm a few days back had also been because of him. Arthur stomped past him and over to the phone. “What are you doing?”

“Calling Ivan. He’s one of the teachers at the Academy of Elements. He specializes in winter seasonal talents, like yourself, and you are in dire need of an education!” He turned to glare at Alfred while the phone rang. “You need to learn how to control your passions!” He set his free hand on his hip. “This is the second time you have made a snowstorm and this time you have probably killed my entire beautiful garden!”

Alfred held up his hand defensively “I’m sure they are fine. Your fairies tend to the flowers too don’t they? And a little snow is not going to completely kill them. Besides it’s not like I did in on purpose. Hell, I don’t even know how I did it.”

“I will have to punish you for this.”

“What!?”

“Of course! It is my responsibility as your sire to punish you when you have done wrong, and you have done wrong.”

Alfred scoffed “Oh, what are you going to do. Spank me?”

Arthur paused and ever so slowly set down the phone. He grinned, showing off the points of his fangs “Actually, that sound like the perfect idea.”

Alfred back away, but his erection was already intrigued by the idea. Stupid animalistic urges. “In bed?”

“Yes.” still gloriously naked except for his jacket, Arthur moved forward and began to stalk Alfred. “If I have to chase you, I’m going to do a lot more then just spank that cute butt of yours.”

Alfred smirked “You have to catch me first, old man.”

Arthur froze, then barked out a laugh. He scraped a hand through his hair “I have the feeling that life with you is never going to be dull.”

“Of course! Who wants that?” Alfred beamed. While Arthur was distracted he bolted, making his way for the stairs. Arthur lunged after him.

Laughter and fox-like yelps filled the house for quite some time after that. Slowly but surly the snow outside began to melt. The flowers immerged from their snow covered blankets fuller and brighter then ever before. The garden didn’t appear to be damaged at all, if anything it seemed the snow had caused it to only grow more beautiful.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> [](http://smg.photobucket.com/user/Lunaria/media/tumblr_n36ktnHFjT1sv1rf9o1_500_zpse1661eed.jpg.html)   
> 
> 
> Art by the lovely Fairy-Kun


	16. Epilogue

Alfred slowly opened his eyelids as the sun peeked in through the blinds and began to hurt his eyes. Grumbling to himself he turned over and came within inches of Arthur’s sleeping face. The man’s silver fox ears were folded flat against his head as he dreamed peacefully. Alfred grinned and moved forward, kissing him on the lips. He had intended to stop there but when Arthur began to stir and awaken Alfred took the opportunity to climb on top of him and begin to kiss down his neck.

Arthur groaned and chuckled as he awoke, rubbing the sleep from his eyes. “Oh my,” he joked “It seems I am being eaten alive.”

“It’s your fault for being so cute.” Alfred replied as he nipped his mate’s neck. “You know what day it is right?”

Arthur moaned “I know it’s the month of July.” He pushed Alfred off as he leaned up into a sitting position “Honestly, making an Englishman celebrate America’s independence is just wrong.”

“Oh come on.” Alfred grinned “Just think of it as a birthday.”

“The only reason you are excited is because this is the only time of the year I will willingly eat those grilled hamburgers of yours.”

Alfred folded his arms across his chest “You used to eat them all the time during our first year together.”

“Because I wanted to make you happy.” Arthur retorted as he got out of bed “Now after nearly a century I’m fine with you being miserable.” Alfred laughed and fell backward on the bed. “It’s about time we get up anyway. We need to go shopping for that party of yours.”

“I told you I did that yesterday. I got everything we needed.”

“Did you get anything to make a salad?” Alfred frowned and Arthur raised a brow, knowing his mate all to well. “You just bought everything you would need to make those hamburgers didn’t you?”

“No. I also got the stuff to make smores.”

Arthur rolled his eyes and couldn’t help but smile. “I’ll do the shopping if you get the backyard ready.” Alfred kicked off the covers and got out of bed, looking around on the floor for the jeans he had kicked off last night. “And don’t spend all day playing games with Alice.”

Alfred waved a hand, tugging on his jeans. Once his pants were on he went to the door and opened it “I’m going to go wake the kits and make breakfast.” He called to Arthur as he saw the Englishman enter the bathroom. He walked down the hall to where the kids rooms were. 

His house was not as big as Arthur’s, but Alfred felt it made their living arrangements more cozy. Still, Arthur had insisted Alfred buy a two level home. He didn’t know why but the man seemed to like stairs. At the end of the hall were two doors. One belonged to his son, Allan, and the other, with the My Little Pony stickers, belonged to his daughter, Alice. Opening his son’s door first Alfred walked in and switched on the light “Come on kiddo it’s time to wake up.” He looked to the bed but found it empty. That could only mean one thing. The boy was already up and making breakfast. 

Alfred smirked. Allen was very much like Arthur in his personality. In fact, the only part about him that resembled Alfred was his dark golden hair. He even had Arthur’s eyebrows. The boy was very studious and rather quiet, preferring to read books or watch his father and his sister play video games. He hardly ever participated himself. Alfred, for a time, had been worried about the boy but Arthur had assured him it was normal. Leaving Allen’s room Alfred then turned and opened the door to his daughter’s room. 

Alice was a different case entirely. She had long blond hair, the same color as Arthur’s, but resembled Alfred more. She was always rambunctious and enjoyed eating hamburgers and playing video games just as much as her father did, much to Arthur’s dismay. Alfred leaned over the bed and pulled back the cover. The little girl didn’t even wake as he lifted her up and into his arms, being sure to not accidentally squish her small gold fox tail.

Cradling her against his chest he left the room and went down the stares. Sure enough when he rounded the corner Allen was just taking the scones out of the oven. The boy may have looked no older then the age of ten but Alfred knew he was mature beyond his years. “Morning.” Alfred smiled as he walked over and placed a hand on Allen’s shoulder “Looks great.” He was happy the boy, though he had inheriting Arthur looks, and not inherited his horrible cooking. 

“I made some biscuits for you.” Allen offered, pointing to the table. 

Alfred turned and noticed the small plate piled high with golden colored biscuits. A jar of jam and English clotted cream were also on the table. Alfred patted Allen’s head, being mindful of his dark silver fox ears, and he then went to sit down. He pulled out a seat and gently set Alice down before sitting himself across from her. The young girl, who looked no more then five, yawned as she just began to wake up. She rubbed her eyes and then looked around. “Morn’n.” she mumbled sleepily. Her green eyes then focused in on the biscuits. Without a word Alfred grabbed one, split it in half, added some clotted cream to each side, and then handed it to her. 

He leaned back in his chair and watched both of them. He couldn’t understand how two siblings could be so different. “Alfred!” Alfred turned his attention to Arthur as he came in. The Brit was fully dressed in his usual casual sweater vest and pants. He went immediately to Alice and began trying to brush his fingers through her long blond hair. He cast Alfred an annoyed look “I told you I think everyone should be dressed when they come to the table. That means you have to help her out of her pajamas and you,” he pointed a finger “Have to have a shirt on.”

Alfred was going to retort that Arthur had not minded him going shirtless last night, but that would be inappropriate in front of the kits. With an apologetic look he accepted the coffee cup Allen brought him and took a long sip. 

He simply stared at the three of them. He had come a long way from the lonely man he had been in that apartment not to long ago. It was so strange how drastically life could change some times. He was just happy his had been for the better. He felt something brush against his legs. Leaning down and peering under the table he smiled down at his large fat cat. Behind him was Arthur’s smaller Scottish fold cat.

“Has anyone fed the cats this morning?”

“I’ll do it!” Alice cheered.

“No you won’t. That can opener can be dangerous.” Arthur picked her up “Now let’s go get you dressed. You’re coming with me to the store.”

“Dad will I be helping you set up the Fourth of July decorations again?” Alfred nodded “Will everyone be coming over again?” he nodded again. Allen smiled “That’s good to hear. I haven’t seen Kaoru is such a long time.” Kaoru was Kiku and Yao’s son, and one of Allen’s very close friends.

Alfred shook his head. It was going to be a rather busy day. He frowned. He had even invited Francis over, but that was more because the fox had stared dating his brother. Alfred still didn’t know what serendipitous event had caused that to happen. And he wasn’t altogether sure he liked it. He sighed and leaned back. It didn’t matter. All in all life was good and he was deliriously happy.

**Author's Note:**

> WARNING! This fanfic will contain explicit sex of an erotic fantasy reversible homosexual nature (USUK/UKUS). It will also have mild to sometimes graphic fantasy violence, swearing, other sexual aspects, animal features, and historical influences.


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